^?U^%'V- 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


Ijf  Mi   |2j2 

S  DA    ^■" 

s;  1^  12.0 

u 


m 


lll!iilUi^U4 

^ 

6"     

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Fhotographic 

Sdmces 

Carporation 


21  WKT  MAM  STMIT 

WmTM,N.V.  14SM 
(7U)l7a-4l03 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/iCIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microroproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  da  miororaproductions  historiquas 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibiiographiquee 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checlced  below. 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couieur 


I     I    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


Couverture  endommagte 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^  et/ou  pellicula 


□    Cover  title  missing/ 
Le 


titre  de  couverture  manque 

loured  maps/ 
Carte?  gAographiques  en  couieur 


I     I    Coloured  maps/ 


□    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couieur  (I.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

0   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couieur 


0 


n 


D 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Rail*  avec  d'autras  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  mergin/ 

La  re  llure  serr4e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  IntArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certainee  pages  blanches  aJoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
male,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  Ati  filmiea. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentalres: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  mellleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lul  a  4t4  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibllographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mAthode  normale  de  fiimage 
sont  Indiquis  ci-dessous. 


I     I  Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couieur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagtes 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurAes  et/ou  peiliculAes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxet 
Pages  dicolortes,  tachetAes  ou  piquAes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  dAtachtes 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

QualitA  inigale  de  rimpression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  matiriei  suppMmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  MHion  disponible 


r~n  Pages  damaged/ 

I — I  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

Q  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages 

I     I  Pages  detached/ 

r^  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I     I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


0 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissuee,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totaiement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'orrata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  At*  fllm4es  A  nouveau  do  fa9on  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


T 

si 


M 
di 
er 
b« 

rll 
re 
m 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  fllmA  au  taux  de  rAduetion  IndiquA  oi-deesout 

10X                           14X                           18X                           22X 

2ex 

SOX 

i 

1 

1 

12X 


ItX 


aox 


a«x 


3IX 


lira 

details 
uos  du 
:  modifiar 
B«r  una 
filmaga 


ra 


i  arrata 
dto 

It 

la  paiura, 

pon  i 


Tha  copy  filmad  hara  has  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

La  Bibliothkiue  da  la  Villa  da  Montrtel 


Tha  Imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacif ications. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriate.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  ▼  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ara  filmad 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


1  2  3 


L'exempiaire  filmA  iuX  reproduit  grAce  h  la 
g^nArositA  da: 

La  Bibliothiqua  da  la  Villa  da  MontrM 


Las  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattetA  da  I'axemplaire  f  ilmi.  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Las  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  f  ilmfo  en  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiAre  paga  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  at  en  terminant  par 
la  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
darnlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  il  est  filmA  A  partir 
da  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
at  da  haut  an  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'imagas  nAcessaira.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

i 


THE 


ortlj  l^mcritim  ^glk; 


on,    A    DKSCllll'TION    OF   THE 


FOREST   TREES 

OF    THF, 

UNITED  STATES,  CANADA,  AND  NOVA  SCOTIA. 


CONSlDERtI)    PARTICULARLY 


WITH  RKSPECT  TO  THEIR  USE  IX  THE  ARTS  AND  THEIR 
INTRODUCTION  INTO  COMMERCE. 


TO    WHICH    IS    ADDKD 


A  DESCRtPTinX  OF  Till-;  MOST  VSEFl'I,  OF  THE 

EUROPEA]^    FOREST    TREES. 


ILLUSTBATBD   BY   158   COLORED   ENQHAVINOa. ' 


TRAXSI.ATKn    IROM    THF.    FUKNTH   (IF 

F.  ANDREW   MICIIAUX, 

MEMDEB    OP  TIIK    I'lin.Osni'mUAL  ."OllMY    (if    l-llll.AllKl.l'IIIA,    ETC.    ETC. 

WITH  NOTKS  BY  J.  JAY  SMITH, 

EDITOR  OP  THE   HORTICI'LTIRIBT,    MKMlir.K  op  THE     ACADEMV  OP   NATIRW.  ."CIENrES.  ITC. 


IN   THKKF,    V() LIMES. 
VOL.    \ 


1'  H  I  L  A  I)  K  L  I'  H  I  A  : 

v\r  M.    R  u  'J^  T  1^:  II   &   c  u., 

SEVENTH   ii  CHEUKY    HTKEET8. 


i 


r>, 


X 


K 


:.i| 


Kntored  according  to  Act  of  ConpsreM,  In  the  year  186S,  by 
niCK,  ItUTTKU  *  co- 
in tlip  riiiH's  (Idle  (.  of  tli('  DiBlriit  Ccitrt  of  tlio  Unitpil  Stateii  for  thp  Kiistorn  Plstrlct  of 

rciiiihylvHnia. 


STKKEOTYl'Kn  BY  L.  JOHNSON   AND  CO. 
i-l(lt,AUKI.t>IIM, 


^  ^^  i  '<  7  . 


H 


CAXTON    PRRSB    or 
•  niillMAN    *    to.,    I'll  I  LA  111-:  LPII  I  A. 


TO 


SAMUEL  GEORGE  MORTON,  M.D., 

PRB8IBE.NT    OF    TUB     ACADEMY    OF     NATURAL     9C1KNCE8,     PHILADELPHIA, 


®j)is  ibition 


MICIIAUX'S  XORTTT  A^^tERICAN  SYLVA 


IS  AFraCTIONATELY   INSCUIBKD 


IJY    Ills    FRIKND    AND    BROTHER, 


J.  JAY  SMITH. 


trhniary.  KtO. 


11 


?3 


PREFACE  TO  THE  EDITION  OF  1857. 


^ 


The  Philadelphia  editions  of  this  important  work  have  had  a  wide 
circulation  iu  the  several  States  of  the  Union,  proving  how  exten- 
sively the  taste  of  the  public  is  turned  to  the  study  of  Arboriculture, 
llie  whole  of  the  sheets  of  the  last  imprint  were  destroyed  by  a  nre 
at  the  bindery,  whither  they  had  been  sent  for  collation ;  but  for- 
tunately the  original  French  copper-plates  were  in  another  building. 
This  has  enabled  the  new  publishers  to  issue  the  work  in  a  much 
improved  style,  and  has  allowed  opportunity  for  additional  notes  and 
remarks.  These  might  have  been  more  extended ;  but  it  was  thought 
best  not  to  swell  the  work  beyond  a  reasonable  charge. 

Issued  as  it  is  in  connection  with  Nuttall's  continuation,  the  whole 
forms  a  work  of  reference  of  unrivalled  interest  and  beauty. 

The  period  which  has  elapsed  between  the  editions  has  taken  from 
us  the  individuals  to  whom  the  public  is  indebted  for  the  lucid 
descriptions  here  reprinted.  F.  Andre  Michaux  died  iu  Paris  iu 
November,  1855.  Dr.  Samuel  George  Morton  also  paid  the  debt  of 
nature  on  the  15th  of  May,  1851,  aged  fifty-two  yeir  i>  beloved  and 
lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Thus  pass  awuy  the  admirers 
of  nature's  works :  even 


'  Art,  Glory,  Freedom,  fail ;  but 
Nature  still  w /air.  "—Byron. 


J.  J.  s. 


[Noth. — When  Michaus  wrote,  Louisiana  included  all  the  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
ixec'ptiiif;  Tcxnt!  and  New  Mexico  and  the  territory  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountain.-.  This  is 
so  well  known  that  it  liiis  not  been  thought  necessary  to  alter  the  tost  in  any  instance  where 
that  State  is  mentioned.] 


i 


^ 


PREFACE. 


The  foundation  of  the  l^orth  American  Sylva  was  laid  by  tlie  labo- 
rious  researches  of  the  ckler  Miehaux;  who,  under  the  auspices  of 
the  French  Government,  devoted  ten  years,  from  1785  to  1796,  to  a 
thorougli  exploration  of  the  country,  from  the  sunny  sub-tropical 
groves  of  Florida  to  the  cold  and  inhospitable  shores  of  Hudson's 
Bay;  repeatedly  visiting  all  the  higher  peaks  and  deepest  recesses  of 
the  Alleghany  Mountains,  and  extending  his  toilsome  journeys  west- 
ward to  the  prairies  of  Illinois  and  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  lie 
proposed  to  Mr.  .Teffcrson,  then  Secretary,  of  State,  to  extend  his 
researclies  to  Oregon,  but  was  prevented  from  doing  so  by  untoward 
circumstances. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  France,  and  the  year  before  he  fell  a  victim 
to  scientific  zeal  upon  the  coast  of  Madagascar,  the  elder  Miehaux 
published  his  history  of  Xorth  American  Oaks,  which  may  be  deemed 
the  nucleus  of  this  more  comprehensive  work,  subsequently  issued 
by  his  son,  who  accompanied  his  father  in  the  earlier  portions  of  his 
travels.  Revisiting  this  country  in  1801,  and  again  in  1807,  the  son 
made  the  extended  and  toilsome  researches  of  which  these  volumes 
are  the  result:  they  were  first  published  in  Paris,  in  1810-13. 

They  were  translated  into  English  by  Ilillhouse,  and  printed  in 
Paris  with  French  types,  in  1819.  This  edition  has  been  long  since 
exhausted;  the  second  English  edition  was  produced  at  ^ew  Har- 
mony, Indiana,  but  was  carelessly  executed  on  very  inferior  paper, 
though,  like  the  present,  the  engravings  were  printed  from  the  origiual 
copper-plates  partly  engraved  by  the  celebrated  Redoute,  which  had 
been  brought  from  Paris  by  the  liberal  friend  of  education  and 
science,  the  late  William  ^IcClure,  with  a  view  of  making  the  work 
more  generally  known  among  the  American  people.  His  brother  aud 
executor,  Alexander  McCluro,  Esq.,  of  New  Harmony,  still  keeping 
in  view  the  future  utility  to  the  community  of  these  expensive  engrav- 
ings, presented  them  to  the  late  Br.  Samuel  George  Morton,  successor 
of  William  McClure  in  the  Presidency  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 

Sciences  of  Philadelphia. 

1.-1*  a 


10 


PREFACE. 


m 


In  passing  this  edition  tlirougli  tlie  press,  I  have  not  thought  it 
advisable  to  make  extensive  alterations  in  the  text,  but  liavo  left  it, 
Avith  some  eorrections  in  the  translation,  as  it  was  written  by  its  dis- 
tinguished author,  adding  a  few  observations  on  soil,  propagation, 
&c.  &e.  These  additions  may  always  be  distinguished  by  their 
being  enclosed  in  brackets.  For  corrections  of  Ilillhouse's  transla- 
tion, and  in  other  particulars,  I  cannot  but  acknowledge  my  great 
indebtedness  to  my  friend  Thomas  Forrest  Betton,  M.D.,  of  German- 
town,  rennsylvania. 

An  improvement  in  the  work  would  have  consisted  in  rearranging 
the  plates  according  to  the  demands  of  modern  Science  and  nomen- 
clature; but  this  would  have  required  the  renumbering  of  them,  and 
thus  all  the  numerous  references  to  these  in  other  books  would  have 
been  erroneous  and  confused. 

It  was  a  singular  circumstance,  and  a  happy  one  it  has  proved  for 
advancing  science,  that  ^fr.  Xuttall  arrived  in  this  country  the  very 
year  that  the  younger  Miclianx  left  it.  From  that  time  lie  devoted 
bis  talents  to  Botany,  and  after  visiting  a  large  portion  of  the  United 
States,  with  an  aptitude  for  observation,  a  quickness  of  eye,  tact  in 
discrimination,  and  tenacity  of  memory,  rarely  possessed  by  one 
man,  he  published  his  extended  and  most  happily-executed  botanical 
work,  the  "Genera  of  IS'ortb  American  Plants."  In  1834  he  crossed 
the  Rocky  Mountains  and  explored  the  territory  of  Oregon  and 
Upper  California.  With  his  peculiar  qualifications,  he  prepared  the 
supplement  to  Michaux's  Sylva,  in  three  handsome  volnmes,  corre- 
sponding in  size  with  the  present,  the  publication  of  which,  after 
many  delays,  was  completed  in  1849,  by  my  son,  in  Philadelphia. 
The  two  works  are  now  one  and  homogeneous,  the  former  most 
highly  valued  by  all  lovers  of  trees,  and  the  latter  destined  to  bo 
equally  so,  when  the  tine  products  of  our  newly-acquired  Western 
regions  make  their  way  to  our  gardens  and  plantations. 

The  frequent  references  I  have  made  to  Mr.  Nuttall's  volumes  will 
show  the  reader  that  his  additions  to  our  Sylva  are  both  extensive 
and  important;  inspection  will  convince  him  that  both  authors  stand 
on  the  highest  pedestal  of  merit. 

J.  JAY  SMITH. 


CONTENTS  OF  YOLUME  FIRST. 


rAot 

White  Oak Qiiercus  alba 22 

Common  European  Oak Quercus  robur 30 

European  White  Oak Quercus  pcclunciilata 32 

Mossy-Cup  Oak Quercus  olivcrformis 33 

Over-Cup  White  Oak Quercus  macrocarpa 35 

Post  Oak Quercus  obtusiloba 36 

Over-Cup  Oak Quercus  lyrata 39 

Swamp  White  Oak Quercus  prinus  discolor 41 

Chestnut  White  Oak Quercus  prin us  palustris 44 

Rock  Chestnut  Oak ...Quercus pirinus  nnnticola 46 

Yellow  Oak Quercus  prinus  acuminata 49 

Small  Chestnut  Oak Quercus  prinus  cJiincapin 50 

Live  Oak Quercus  viretia 52 

Cork  Oak Quercus  suber 55 

Willow  Oak Quercus  phellos 58 

Laurel  Oak Quercus  imbricaria 60 

Upland  Willow  Oak Quercus  cinerea 61 

Running  Oak Quercus  piimila 63 

Bertram  Oak Quercus  hetcrophylla 64 

Water  Oak Quercus  aquatica 65 

Black  Jack  Oak Quercus  ferruginea 67 

Bear  Oak  Quercus  Banisteri 69 

Barrens  Scrub  Oak  Quercus  Catesbwi 71 

Spanish  Oak Quercus  falcata 73 

Black  Oak Quercus  tinctoria 76 

Scarlet  Oak  Quercus  coccinea 79 

Gray  Oak Quercus  borealis 81 

11 


!l 


I 


'm 


12 


CONTENTS. 


Pin  Oak Quereus  palustris 88 

Red  Oak Qucrcus  rubra 84 

Common  European  Walnut Juglans  regia 97 

Black  Walnut , Juglans  nigra 104 

Butternut Juglans  cathartica 109 

Pccannut  Hickory Juglans  olivaformis 114 

Bittcrnut  Hickory Juglans  amara 116 

Water  Bitternut  Hickory Juglans  aquatica 119 

Mockernut  Hickory Juglans  tomentosa 120 

ShoUbark  Hickory Juglans  squamosa 123 

Thick  Slicllbark  Hickory Juglans  laciniosa 128 

132 

135 

146 

149 

153 

163 

165 

167 

169 

172 


Pignut  Hickory Juglans  j)orcina 

Nutmeg  Hickory Juglans  myristica'formis  , 

White  Maple Acer  eriocarpum 

Red-Flowering  Maple Acer  rubrum 

Sugar  Maple Acer  saccharinum 

Black  Sugar  Tree Acer  nigrum 

Norway  Maple Acer  platano'ides 

Sycamore Acer  piseudo-platanus 

Moose  Wood Acer  striatum 

Box  Elder Acer  negu ndo 


Mountain  Maple Acer  montanum 175 

Dogwood Cornus  Jlorida 176 

Georgia  Bark Pinclcncya  pubens 180 

Coffee  Tree Gi/mnocladiia  Canadentis 182 


PAQI 

.  83 

.  84 

.  97 

.104 

.100 

.114 

.116 

.119 

.120 

.123 

.128 

.132 

,135 

,146 

149 

153 

163 

165 

167 

169 

172 

175 

176 

180 

182 


THE 


NORTH  AMERICAN 


SYLYA. 


OAKS. 

In  the  greater  part  of  North  America,  as  well  as  in  Europe, 
there  is  no  tree  so  generally  useful  as  the  Oak.  It  is  every- 
where the  most  highly  esteemed  in  the  construction  of  houses 
and  of  vessels,  and  is  commonly  selected  for  implements  of  hus- 
bandry. It  seems,  also,  to  have  been  multiplied  by  nature  in 
proportion  to  its  utility.  Without  insisting  upon  the  diversity 
of  climates  to  which  it  is  indigenous,  we  may  observe  that  the 
number  of  its  known  species  is  already  considerable  and  is  daily 
increasing,  particularly  on  the  Western  Continent,  and  that  its 
varieties  are  infinite.  These  considerations  determined  my 
father  in  1801,  after  his  return  from  the  United  States,  to  pub- 
lish a  treatise  containing  drawings  and  descriptions  of  the  Oaks 
of  that  country,  which  was  favorably  received  by  the  lovers  of 
botany  and  agriculture. 

The  following  extract  from  his  work  exhibits  a  just  outline  of 

this  tree: — "The  genus  of  the  Oaks  (Introduct.  p.  4)  comprises 

many  unknown  species;  most  of  those  which  grow  in  America 

13 


il    ! 


14 


OAKS. 


exhibit  such  various  forms  while  young  that  they  can  be  ascer- 
t.ained  with  certainty  only  Avhen  arrived  at  maturer  years. 
Often  an  intermediate  variety  so  neai'ly  resenil)los  two  species 
that  it  is  difficult  to  determine,  from  the  foliage,  to  Avhich  of 
them  it  belongs.  Some  species  are  so  variable  that  it  is  impos- 
sible, by  the  leaves,  to  recognise  their  identity  in  youth  and  at 
a  more  advanced  age.  Others  are  so  similar  that  specific  cha- 
racters must  be  dciived  from  tuc  fructification,  which  is  itself 
liable  to  variations  and  exceptions.  It  is  only  by  a  comparison 
of  stocks  of  dilferent  ages  that  analogous  species  can  be  distin- 
guished and  varieties  correctly  referred  to  their  species. 

"I  have  endeavored  to  arrange  the  American  Oaks  in  a 
natural  series,  the  characters  of  which  I  first  sought  in  the 
fructification :  ])ut  this  aflbrded  only  unimportant  distinctions, 
such  as  the  position  of  tlie  barren  flowers,  whether  pedunculated 
or  nearly  sessile,  and  the  size  and  pei'iod  of  the  fruit.  Neither 
Wiis  I  able  to  found  my  distinction  on  the  structure  of  the  cup. 
I  was  obliged  therefore  to  have  recourse  to  the  foliaue,  which 
has  been  nuide  the  basis  of  a  division  iiuo  two  sections,  the  first 
containing  the  species  with  beardless  leaves,  and  the  second, 
those  in  which  the  summit  or  lobes  are  terminated  by  a  bristle. 

"  The  interval  between  the  appearance  of  the  flowt'r  and  the 
maturity  of  the  fruit  is  different  in  different  species;  itnd  this 
distinction  I  have  admitted  as  a  pecondary  character. 

"All  the  Oaks  are  proved  to  be  monecious.  We  know,  too, 
that  on  the  Ein'o[H'!in  White  Oak  and  other  species  the  female 
flowers  arc  situated  a])ove  the  male  upon  the  shoots  of  the  same 
season;  that  both  are  axillary;  and  that,  innnediately  after  the 
fecundation,  the  nuile  flowers  fade  and  fall,  while  the  feunile 
blossom  continues  advancing  through  the  natural  stages  till,  in 
the  course  of  the  year,  it  ripens  into  perfect  fruit.  But  there 
are  some  s])ecies  whose  fertile  flowers  remain  stationai-y  a  whole 
year  and  begin  to  develop  their  germ  the  second  spring,  pro- 
bably iK'cause  they  are  not  feciuulated  the  first  season;  so  that 


i 


OAKS. 


16 


^ 
i 

$ 


eightcer  months  elapse  between  the  appearance  of  the  flower 
and  the  maturity  of  the  fruit.  Hence  I  have  formed  a  subdivi- 
sion into  species  of  annual  and  species  of  biennial  fructification. 
The  female  flower  which  is  axillary  the  first  season  ceases  to  be 
so,  of  course,  at  the  falling  of  the  leaf  Several  species  arc 
found  upon  the  Old  Continent  whose  fructuation  is  biennial, 
such  as  the  Cork  Oak,  Qiierciis  sitbcr,  etc." 

I  have  deri\'ed  great  assistance  from  my  father's  work,  and 
have  adopted  his  arrangement,  which  perfectly  accords  with  my 
own  observations.  But  1  have  inserted  several  new  species, 
and  have  suppressed  two  that  were  not  well  ascertained  :  the 
existence  of  one  of  them  is  doubtful,  and  the  other  is  evidently 
a  duplicate. 

The  chief  distinction  between  my  work  and  his  consists  in 
the  more  extended  practical  observations,  which  are  the  fruit  of 
my  own  researches.  My  constant  aim  Avas  to  ai)preciate  the 
utility  of  each  species  in  the  mechanical  arts,  and  to  point  out 
those  which  are  the  most  deserving  of  attention  in  Euro^jc  and 
America.  If  in  this  respect  mine  has  some  advantage,  my 
lather's  work  will  always  preserve  its  title  to  the  attention  of 
botanists  and  amateurs  of  foreign  plants,  by  other  details  not 
consistent  with  my  ])lan.  They  will  find,  for  example,  quota- 
tions from  all  the  authors  who  had  previously  taken  notice  of 
the  species  he  describes,  and.  in  the  plates,  leaves  of  the  young 
plant  as  well  as  of  the  full-grown  tree. 

I  have  described  twenty-six  American  species,  which  I  have 
divided  into  two  sections,  according  to  the  term  of  fructification: 
the  first  comprising  ten  species  that  bear  fruit  every  year;  and 
the  second,  sixtei-n.  of  wiiich  the  IVuctiflcation  is  bieimial.  I 
have  learned  l)y  nndtiplied  t)bservalions  that,  with  the  excc})- 
tion  of  the  Tiivi'  Oak.  the  wood  ol'  the  first  section  is  of  a  finer 
texture,  more  conipnct.  and  coiiseipiently  more  durabli'. 

Tiiniuvus,  in  the  third  edition  of  his  SfH'n'cs  PhuitunntK  ])ub- 
lished  in  1771.  described   fuurtccn  species  of  Oak.  of  wliicb  five 


16 


OAKS. 


only  are  natives  of  the  New  World.  Since  that  period  such 
additions  have  been  made  to  the  list  that  the  new  edition  of 
Willdenow's  Species  Plantarmn,  published  in  1805,  contains 
forty-four  American  species ;  of  which  sixteen  were  recognised 
by  Messrs.  Humboldt  and  Bonpland  in  Old  Mexico,  and  twenty- 
six  by  my  father  and  myself  in  the  United  States  and  the 
adjacent  countries.  Probably  the  American  series  will  be  still 
further  augmented  by  discoveries  in  the  Avestern  part  of  Loui- 
siana, and  in  the  interior  provinces  of  New  Spain, — a  country 
1200  miles  in  extent,  lying  between  the  United  States  and  Old 
Mexico,  which  no  naturalist  has  explored. 

In  America,  as  we  have  just  observed,  are  found  forty-four 
species,  which  are  all  compi'ised  between  the  20th  and  48th 
degrees  of  north  latitude;  on  the  Old  Continent  are  enume- 
rated only  thirty,  which  are  scattered  on  both  sides  of  the 
equator,  beginning  at  the  GOth  degree  north. 

This  sketch  is  not  without  utility,  and  appears  naturally  in 
this  place;  such  parallels  might  perhaps  contribute  more  than 
is  generally  thought  to  the  progress  of  botany  and  agriculture, 
and  they  deserve  particular  attention  from  naturalists  travelling 
in  foreign  countries.  It  would  be  interesting  to  possess  com- 
parative tables  of  those  plants  which  are  found  in  the  higher 
latitudes  of  both  continents,  and  of  the  trees  and  shrubs  of  the 
temperate  climates  of  America  with  the  analogous  species  found 
in  nearly  the  same  latitude  in  Asia.  I  have  hmg  entertained  a 
wish,  which  will  doubtless  be  shared  by  all  who  interest  them- 
selves in  the  science,  that  botanists  would  go  irore  deeply  into 
the  geography  of  plants.  The  rapid  progress  of  the  young 
Americans  who  are  beginning  to  devote  themselves  with  ardor 
to  the  study  of  Natural  History  will  soon  aflbrd  the  requisite 
information  concerning  their  own  portion  of  the  globe. 


M 


[For  a  continuation  of  the  subject,  and  for  further  interesting 
particulars  respecting  the  Oaks,  see  Nuttall's  Supplement  to  this 


4 


OAKS. 


17 


:^ 


work,  vol.  i.  p.  1,  et  seq.  Six  new  species  are  there  figured, 
with  additional  information  regarding  several  treated  of  by 
Michaux. 

iSoil,  Situation,  and  Climate.  The  Oaks,  to  attain  their  full 
size,  require  a  deep,  loamy  soil,  a  situation  low  rather  than 
elevated,  and  a  climate  not  liable  to  late  spring  frosts,  which 
injure  both  the  blossoms  and  leaves.  In  elevated  situations,  or 
in  the  extreme  North,  those  species  which,  under  favorable 
circumstances,  form  the  most  magnificent  trees,  become,  as  in 
the  case  of  other  trees,  mere  shrubs  The  Oaks  which  flourish 
on  the  worst  soils  are  the  low-growing  kinds  belonging  to  the 
section  Ilex,  and  especially  those  belonging  to  the  group  Phellos ; 
and  those  which  require  the  best  soil  are  the  Quercus  sessiliflora, 
the  Q.  cerris,  and  most  of  the  sorts  composing  the  American 
group  Rubi'so. 

Propagation,  (fee.  The  Oak  is  propagated  with  difficulty  by 
every  other  mode  except  from  seed;  and,  generally,  time  will 
be  gained  when  the  acorns  are  sown  where  the  plants  are  in- 
tended finally  to  remain.  It  is  only,  therefore,  where  peculiar 
varieties  are  to  be  continued  that  the  process  of  grafting  is  re- 
sorted to ;  and  the  mode  by  approach  is  almost  the  only  one 
that  is  certain  to  be  attended  with  success.  The  best  stock  for 
grafting  on  is  Q.  cerris,  on  which  some  sorts  may  be  successfully 
budded. 

The  acorns  need  not  be  gathered  from  the  tree,  but  may  be 
collected  from  the  ground  immediately  after  they  have  dropped, 
and  may  either  be  sown  then  or  kept  till  the  following  spring. 
If  they  are  to  be  kept,  they  should  be  made  perfectly  dry  in  the 
sun  or  in  an  airy  shed,  mixed  with  dry  sand,  in  the  proportion 
of  three  bushels  of  sand  to  one  of  acorns,  or  with  dry  moss,  and 
then  excluded  from  the  air  and  vermin,  by  being  put  into 
barrels  or  boxes,  or  laid  up  in  a  cellar,  or  buried  in  heaps  and 
covered  with  a  sufficient  thickness  of  earth  to  excludes  the 
weather.     Very  few  of  any  species  will  germinate  after  having 

Vol.  r.-2 


I! 


18 


OAKS. 


been  kept  a  year.  When  acorns  are  to  be  sown  in  a  nursery, 
the  soil  ought  to  be  thoroughly  prepared  and  rendered  fine; 
and  after  the  earth  is  drawn  off  the  beds,  or  the  drills  opened, 
the  acorns  may  either  be  scattered  over  the  beds,  or  along  the 
drills,  so  that  the  nuts  may  be  about  two  inches  apart.  The 
acorns,  before  covering,  must  be  patted  down  with  the  back  of  a 
spade  in  the  beds,  and  with  the  back  of  a  wooden-headed  rake 
in  the  drills.  The  covering,  of  well-broken  soil,  should  vary  in 
depth  according  to  the  size  of  the  acorn,  Ih  inches  being  enough 
for  those  of  the  largest  size  and  half  an  inch  for  those  of  the 
smallest  size.  No  mode  of  depositing  acorns  in  the  soil  can  be 
worse  than  that  of  dropping  them  in  holes  made  by  too  small  a 
dibble.  The  acorn  drops  into  the  hole,  and  becomes  wedged  by 
its  sides  before  it  gets  to  the  bottom ;  and,  jf  the  upper  extremity 
should  be  downward  instead  of  upward,  it  can  hardly  be  ex- 
pected to  grow.  Sown  late  in  March,  the  period  between  the 
depositing  the  acorn  and  its  becoming  a  plant  is  lessened  and 
the  danger  from  destruction  by  vermin  somewhat  diminished. 
When  it  is  necessary  to  remove  the  plant,  the  tap-root  should 
be  shortened  a  year  at  least  in  advance ;  side-pruning  is  soon 
necessary  when  the  object  is  a  straight  clean  trunk. 

The  American  Oaks  vary  so  exceedingly  in  their  leaves  at 
different  seasons  of  the  year,  in  different  st.ages  of  their  growth, 
and  in  different  localities,  that  some  experience  is  necessary  in 
deciding  on  them. 

Like  most  other  trees,  the  Oak  seldom  bears  an  abundant 
crop  of  fruit  for  two  years  in  succession,  and  it  increases  in  pro- 
ductiveness with  age.  All  the  species  push  up  shoots  from  the 
collar  when  cut  down,  but  only  one  or  two  species  from  the  root. 
After  Oaks  have  stood  in  good  soil  and  a  suitable  climate  for 
five  or  six  years,  they  grow  with  rapidity  till  they  have  attained 
the  age  of  thirty  or  forty  years;  and  the  life  of  some  species  is 
kncnvn  to  extend  to  upward  of  one  thousand  year,-*. 

There  are  some  Oaks  in  Britain  which  are  believed  to  have 


OAKS. 


19 


been  old  trees  in  the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror;  and  Pliny 
mentions  a  Quercus  ilex  which  was  an  old  tree  when  Rome  was 
founded,  and  which  was  still  living  in  his  time.  The  Merton 
Oak  measures  at  the  surface  of  the  ground  sixty-three  feet  two 
inches. 

The  Cowthorp  Oak,  in  Yorkshire,  measures  seventy-eight  feet 
in  circumference  near  the  ground,  and  its  age  is  estimated  as 
nearly  coeval  with  the  Christian  era.  An  Oak  in  Lower  Char 
rante,  in  France,  is  declared,  on  good  authority,  to  measure  from 
eighty-five  to  ninety-four  feet. 

Particular  attention  should  be  given  to  the  remarks  of  the 
author  on  the  subject  of  planting  the  Oak  for  future  use.  The 
General  or  State  Governments  should  never  grant  a  charter  for 
a  railroad  or  canal,  without  a  clause  requiring  the  planting  of 
useful  trees,  such  as  the  White  Oak,  for  instance,  at  the  North, 
and  the  Live  Oak  wherever  the  climate  will  admit,  along  both 
sides  of  the  route.  A  store  of  ship-timber  would  thus  be  accu- 
mulating for  national  or  mercantile  service,  whence  it  could 
easily  be  transported  to  the  seaboard  in  emergencies, — a  plan 
which  would  shade  the  road  and  be  advantageous  to  the  banks 
of  a  canal.  The  French  Government  has  shown  a  wise  fore- 
sight in  this  particular;  her  turnpikes  are  often  thus  planted, 
and  the  product  is  at  the  call  of  the  authorities.] 


METHODICAL  DISPOSITION 


OF  THE 


OAKS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA, 


INCLUDING 


THREE  EUROPEAN  SPECIES. 


Mmecia  polyandria.  Linn.     Amentacece.  Juss. 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

Fructification  annual;  leaves  beardless. 

First  Section. — Leaves  lobed. 

1.  White  Oak Qttercus  alba. 

2.  Common  European  Oak    .     .        Querciis  robur. 

2.  European  White  Oak     .     .     .  Quercus  robur  pedunctdcUa. 

3.  Mossy-cup  Oak Quercus  oUvasformis. 

4.  Over-cup  White  Oak  ....  Quercus  macrocarpa. 

5.  Post  Oak Quercus  obtusiloba. 

6.  Over-cup  Oak Quercus  lyrata. 

Second    Section. — Leaves  toothed. 

7.  Swamp  White  Oak    ....      Quercus  prlnus  discolor. 

8.  Chestnut  White  Oak    .     .     .        Quercus pr'mus ^mlustris. 

9.  Rock  Chestnut  Oak   ....      Qiiercus  'prinus  mmiticola. 

10.  Yellow  Oak Quercus  prinus  acuminata. 

11.  Small  Chestnut  Oak  .     .     .     .      Quercus  prinus  clmwapin. 

20 


METHODICAL     DISPOSITION,    ETC. 


21 


SECOND  DIVISION. 

Fructification  biennial;  leaves  mucronated,  (except  in  the  13th  species.) 

First  Section. — Leaves  obtuse  or  entire. 

12.  Live  Oak Quercus  virens. 

13.  Cork  Oak Quercus  suher. 

14.  Willow  Oak Quercus  phelloa. 

.   15.  Laurel  Oak Quercus  imhricaria. 

16.  Upland  Willow  Oak    ....      Quercus  cinerea. 

17.  Running  Oak Quercus  pumila. 

Second  Section. — Leaves  lobed. 

18.  Bartram  Oak Quercus  heierophylla. 

19.  Water  Oak Quercus  aquatica. 

20.  Black  Jack  Oak Quercus  f err uginea. 

21.  Bear  Oak Quercus  hanisteri. 

Third  Section. — Leaves  nvultifid  or  rmny-clefted. 

22.  Barrens  Scrub  Oak Quercus  catesbcei. 

23.  Spanish  Oak Quercus  falcata. 

24.  Black  Oak Quercus  tinctoria. 

25.  Scarlet  Oak Quercus  coccinea. 

26.  Gray  Oak Quercus  amhigua. 

27.  Pin  Oak Querctis  palustris. 

28.  Bed  Oak Quercus  rubra. 


WHITE   OAK. 

QuEROUS  ALBA.  Q.  folus  subccqualitcr  pbmatijidis;  laciniis  oblongis,  ob- 
tnsis,  plerumqii^  intcgcrrimis  ;  frudu  majiisado  ;  enpuld  erateratd  ;  tuber- 
culoso-scabratd  ;  glandc  ovatd. 

TiiROUGUouT  the  United  States,  and  in  Canada,  this  tree  is 
known  by  the  name  of  White  OaJc.  The  environs  of  the  small 
town  of  Troia  Rivieres,  in  Canada,  latitude  46°  20',  and  the  lower 
part  of  the  river  Kennebeck,  in  the  district  of  Maine,  are  the 
most  northern  points  at  which  it  was  observed  by  my  father 
and  myself.  Thence  we  traced  it  along  the  searshore  to  a  dis- 
tance beyond  Capo  Canaveral,  latitude  28°,  and  westward  from 
the  ocean  to  the  country  of  the  Illinois, — an  extent  of  more 
than  1200  miles  from  northeast  to  southwest,  and  nearly  as 
much  from  east  to  west.  It  is,  however,  by  no  means  equally 
diffused  over  this  vast  tract ;  in  the  district  of  Maine,  Vermont, 
and  Lower  Canada,  it  is  little  multiplied,  and  its  vegetation  is 
repressed  by  the  severity  of  the  winter.  In  the  lower  part  of 
the  Southern  States,  in  the  Floridas  and  Lower  Louisiana,  it  is 
found  only  on  the  borders  of  the  swamps  with  a  few  other  trees 
which  likewise  shun  a  dry  and  barren  soil.  This  region  is 
generally  so  sandy  that  it  is  covered  with  a  continued  growth 
of  Pines,  as  will  be  more  particularly  mentioned  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  Long-leaved  Pine.  The  White  Oak  is  observed  also 
to  be  uncommon  on  lands  of  extraordinary  fertility,  like  those 
of  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  Genesee :  and,  of  all  the  spacious 
valleys  watered  by  the  Western  rivers,  I  have  travelled  whole 
days  in  those  States  without  seeing  a  single  stock,  though  the 
few  that  exist,  both  there  and  in  the  Southern  States,  exhibit 
the  most  luxuriant  vegetation. 

The  White  Oak  abounds  chiefly  in  the  Middle  States  and  in 

Virginia,  particularly  in  that  part  of  Ptmnsylvania  and  Virginia 
22 


hlongis,  oh- 
itd;  iuber- 


s  tree  is 
the  small 
;he  lower 
,  are  the 
ly  father 

to  a  dis- 
ard  from 

of  more 
learly  as 

equally 
/"ermont, 
tation  is 
■  part  of 
ma,  it  is 
ler  trees 
egion  is 

growth 
descrip- 
ved  also 
ce  those 
spacious 
d  whole 
ugh  the 
exhibit 


I  and  in 
l^irginia 


■  llii 


I 


/'/./'.'■ 


ll  I 


I 


WHITE    OAK. 


28 


which  lies  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Ohio,  a  distance  of 
about  150  miles,  beginning  at  Brownsville  on  the  Monongahela. 
Near  Greensburg,  Macconnelsville,  Unionville,  and  Washington 
Court-house,  I  have  seen  large  forests,  nine-tenths  of  which  con- 
sisted of  White  Oaks,  whose  healthful  appearance  evinced  the 
favorable  natux'e  of  the  soil,  though  in  general  they  were  not 
more  than  fifteen  inches  in  diameter.  East  of  the  mountains 
this  tree  is  found  in  every  exposure,  and  in  every  soil  which  is 
not  exti'emely  dry  or  suljject  to  long  inundations;  but  the  largest 
stocks  grow  in  humid  places.  In  the  Western  districts,  Avhero 
it  composes  entire  forests,  the  face  of  the  country  is  undulated, 
and  the  yellow  soil,  consisting  partly  of  clay  with  a  mixture  of 
calcareous  stones,  yields  abundant  crops  of  Avheat. 

By  the  foregoing  observations,  it  appears  that  the  severity  of 
the  climate,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  its  dryness  or  humidity,  are 
the  causes  which  render  the  White  Oalc  so  rare  over  three- 
quarters  of  the  United  States  that  it  is  inadequate  to  supply  the 
local  demand,  though  the  country  does  not  contain  a  fourth  of 
the  ])opulation  which  it  is  capable  of  supporting. 

Among  the  Anierican  Oaks  this  species  bears  the  greatest 
analogy  to  the  Euro})ean  Oak,  especially  to  the  variety  called 
European  White  Oak,  [Querriifi  pednnruhifa.)  which  it  resembles 
in  foliage  and  in  the  qualities  of  its  wood.  Tlie  American 
Wliite  Oak  is  seventy  or  eighty  feet  liigh.  and  six  or  seven  feet 
in  diameter;  but  its  proportions  vary  with  tlie  soil  and  climate. 
The  leaves  are  regularly  and  ol)liquely  divided  into  ol)long, 
rouiuled  lobes,  destitute  of  points;  the  sections  apjieared  to  bt 
the  deepest  in  the  most  liumid  soils.  Soon  after  their  imfold- 
ing,  they  are  reddish  above  and  white  and  downy  beneath; 
when  fully  grown,  they  are  smooth  and  of  a  light  green  on  the 
upper  surface  and  glaucous  underneath.  In  the  fall  they 
eliang(!  to  a  bright  violet  color,  and  form  an  agreeal)le  contrnsr 
with  the  surrounding  foliage  which  has  not  ^et  suft'ered  by  the 
frost. 


"% 


24 


WHITE    OAK. 


!;  ii;i!i?' 


1 1 


J.I 


r  1 


This  is  the  only  Oak  on  which  a  few  of  the  dried  leaves 
persist  till  the  circulation  is  renewed  in  the  spring.  By  this 
peculiarity  and  by  the  whiteness  of  the  bark,  from  which  it 
derives  its  name,  it  is  easily  distinguished  in  the  winter.  The 
acorns  are  of  an  oval  form,  large,  very  sweet,  contained  in  rough, 
shallow,  grayish  cups,  and  bovne  singly  or  in  pairs,  by  peduncles 
eight  or  ten  lines  in  length,  attached,  as  in  all  the  species  with 
annual  fructification,  to  the  shoots  of  the  season. 

The  fruit  of  the  White  Oak  is  rarely  abundant,  and  frequently 
for  several  years  in  succession  a  few  handfuls  of  acorns  could 
hardly  be  collected  in  a  large  forest  where  the  tree  is  multiplied. 
Some  stocks  produce  acorns  of  a  deep  blue  color;  but  I  have 
found  only  two  indications  of  this  variety,  one  a  flourishing 
tree  in  the  garden  of  Mr.  W.  Hamilton,  [now  the  Woodlands 
Cemetery,]  near  Philadelphia,  and  the  other  in  Virginia. 

The  trunk  is  clad  in  a  white  bark,  variegated  frequently  with 
large  black  spots.  On  stocks  less  than  sixteen  inches  in  dia- 
meter the  epidermis  is  divided  into  squares;  on  old  trees,  grow- 
ing in  moist  grounds,  it  is  in  the  form  of  plates  laterally  at- 
tached. The  wood  is  reddish,  and  very  similar  to  that  of  the 
European  Oak,  though  lighter  and  less  compact,  as  may  be 
proved  by  splitting  billets  of  each  of  the  same  size;  in  the 
American  species  the  vessels  wliich  occupy  the  intervals  of  the 
concentrical  circles  are  visi])ly  less  replete.  But,  of  all  the 
American  Oaks  which  I  whall  describe,  this  is  be.^t  and  most 
generally  used,  being  stnmg,  duralile,  and  of  large  dimensions. 
It  is  less  em])loyed  than  formerly  in  building  only  Iwcause  it  ia 
more  scarce  and  costly. 

At  Phibidelphia,  Baltimore,  and  in  the  smaller  towns  of  the 
Middle  States,  the  frame  of  all  well-built  houses,  whether  of 
brick  or  wood,  is  of  White  Oak.  West  of  the  Alleghanies, 
wiiere  pine  l)oards  ar.:  not  easily  procured,  the  White  Oak  ia 
substituted  I'nr  the  floors  and  for  the  exterior  covering  of  the 
frame,  notwithstanding  its  liability  to  warp  and  split. 


■4 
A' 


■* 


•* 


WHITE     OAK. 


26 


.,Sj 


..3(1 


.1 


It  is  much  usod  in  the  construction  of  mills  and  dams,  particu- 
larly for  such  parts  as  are  exposed  to  be  alternately  Avet  and  dry. 

The  wooden  bridge,  nearly  oOOO  feet  long,  that  unites  Boston 
and  Cambridge,  is  supported  by  posts  of  White  Oak,  from  four- 
teen to  fifty  feet  in  length,  which  replaced  those  of  White  Pine 
on  which  it  originally  stood. 

The  excellent  properties  of  this  wood  cause  it  to  be  preferred 
for  a  great  variety  of  uses,  among  which  are  nuuiy  articles 
manufactured  by  the  wheelwright.  This  trade  is  carried  to  the 
greatest  perfection  at  Philadelphia,  and  its  wares  are  highly 
esteemed  for  solidity  I)oth  at  home  and  aljroad.  White  Oak 
perfectly  seasoned  is  employed  I'or  the  frame  of  coaches,  wagons, 
and  sledges,  for  the  mould-board  of  ploughs,  the  teeth  of  wooden 
harrows,  the  felloes  and  spokes  of  wheels,  particularly  the 
spokes  of  coach-wheels.  In  the  Northern,  Middle,  and  Western 
States,  the  naves  are  also  made  of  Oak,  in  the  country;  but  it 
splits  too  easily  to  be  proper  lor  this  object.  Except  in  the 
district  of  Maine,  it  is  always  chosen  for  the  bow  or  circular 
back  of  windsor-chairs.  The  wood  of  the  young  stocks  is  veiy 
elastic,  and  is  susceptible  of  minute  division;  hence  it  is  pre- 
ferred for  the  large  baskets  used  in  harvesting,  for  the  hoop  of 
sieves,  the  bottom  of  riddles,  and  the  handles  of  coach-whips, 
which  are  braided  and  covered  with  leather;  at  Boston  it  is 
chosen  I'or  pail-handles,  and  in  Maine  for  axe-helves. 

In  many  parts  of  the  Middle  States  the  White  Oak  is  selected 
for  th  '  posts  of  rural  fences,  and  beyond  the  Laurel-Hill  Moun- 
tain, in  Pennsylvania,  where  it  is  common,  it  forms  the  entire 
enclosure. 

The  biirk  is  considered  by  many  tanners  as  the  best  for  pre- 
paring leather  for  saddles  and  other  similar  oI)jei'ts:  it  is  little 
used,  however,  because  in   the  United  States  the   bark  of   the 
trunk  and    large    limbs  only   is  employed;    and   on    these  the 
cellular  tissue  is  much  thinner  in  the  White  than  in  the  Ked 

Oak,  which  is,  besides,  more  nitnndant. 
I.— 'J* 


i 

!  '  i 

1 «  1' 

1 

iH 

1 

1 

1l 

: '  1 

1 

!    !    1 

I    M   ! 


I    !     i 


26 


WHITE     OAK. 


I  have  been  told  that  the  bark  yields  a  purple  dye.  Though 
I  have  not  witnessed  the  fact,  I  am  disposed  to  believe  in  its 
existence,  as  I  received  the  information  from  persons  residing 
several  hundred  miles  from  each  other.  But,  if  the  color  waa 
not  defective  in  permanence  or  intensity,  it  would  have  found 
its  way  into  commerce,  like  the  QncrcUron  of  the  Black  Oak. 

Of  all  the  species  that  grow  east  of  the  Mississippi,  the 
White  Oak  alone  furnishes  staves  fitted  for  containing  wine  and 
spirituous  liquors.  The  domestic  consumption  for  this  purpose 
is  immense,  and  vast  quantities  are  exported  to  the  West  Indies, 
Great  Britain,  and  the  islands  of  Madeira  and  Teneriffe.  The 
Post  Oak  might,  indeed,  be  applied  to  the  same  use ;  but  even 
in  Maryland  and  Virginia,  where  it  is  most  common,  it  is  not 
sufficiently  multiplied  to  supply  the  local  demand. 

The  Book  Chestinit  Oak  and  the  Swamp  White  Oak  in  the 
Northern  and  Middle  States,  the  Chestnut  White  Oak  and  the 
Over-cup  Oak  in  the  South,  are  compact  enough  to  prevent  the 
escape  of  spirits  and  fine  oils,  j-et  porous  enough  to  absorb  them. 
If  they  united  every  requisite  quality,  and  were  employed  for 
this  purpose,  they  would  be  consumed  in  less  than  ten  years. 

It  is  well  understood  at  Bordeaux  that  the  wood  of  the  Euro- 
pean White  Oak  is  closer-grained  than  that  of  the  American 
species,  and  the  preference  is  given  to  our  domestic  growth,  or 
to  that  imported  from  Dantzic.  The  American  Oak  is  exclu- 
sively employed  in  Maderia  and  the  West  Indies,  only  because 
it  is  cheaper  and  more  easily  procured. 

White  Oak  staves  are  exported  from  all  the  parts  of  the 
Northern  and  Middle  States,  and  from  New  Orleans.  Those 
which  come  from  Baltimore,  Norfolk,  and  New  Orleans,  are  far 
superior  to  those  of  the  Northern  States;  the  difference  results 
naturally  from  that  of  the  soil  and  climate. 

The  qmmtity  of  Onk  staves  exported  to  England  and  the 
West  Indies  appears,  by  two  official  documents  that  I  have 
examined,  to  be  considerable.     In  1808,  the  value  received  by 


WHITE     OAK. 


27 


.  Though 
ieve  in  its 
IS  residing 
I  color  waa 
lave  found 
ick  Oak. 
Issippi,  the 
g  wine  and 
lis  purpose 
/"est  Indies, 
riffe.  The 
;  l)ut  even 
n,  it  is  not 

Oak  in  the 

ak  and  the 

prevent  the 

jsorb  them. 

iployed  for 

n  years. 

f  the  p]uro- 

Anierican 

growth,  or 

k  is  excUi- 

iily  because 

arts  of  the 
ns.  Those 
ans,  are  far 
'uce  results 

1(1  nnd  tlie 
lal  1  have 
leceivtHl  by 


England  amounted  to  more  than  $146,000,  and  the  number  of 
staves  sent  to  the  West  Indies  exceeded  53,000,000.  I  am 
unable  to  fix  the  proportion  of  the  two  species  of  White  and 
Ked  Oak;  probably  more  of  the  first  are  sent  to  England,  and 
of  the  second  to  the  Colonies.  The  price  of  both  has  varied 
surprisingly  within  a  hundx'cd  j'ears.  In  1720,  staves  for 
bari'els  were  sold  at  Philadelphia  at  $3  a  thousand-;  in  1798,  at 
$18;  and  in  1818,  at  $30.  In  August,  1807,  before  the  Ameri- 
can Embargo,  they  were  advertised  at  $55,  and  in  April,  1808, 
after  that  municipal  regulation  became  known,  at  $100. 

M:  The  young  White  Oak,  on  account  of  its  elasticity,  is  very 

proper  for  hoops,  but  it  has  less  strength  and  less  durability 
than  the  Hickory. 

'10  Among  the  uses  of  this  wood,  the  most  important  is  in  ship- 

building. In  all  the  dock-yards  of  the  Northern  and  Middle 
States,  except  in  the  district  of  Maine,  it  is  almost  exclusively 
employed  for  the  Reel,  and  always  for  the  lower  part  of  the 
frame  and  the  sides ;  it  is  preferred  for  the  knees  when  sticks  of 
a  proper  form  can  be  found.  In  the  smaller  ports  south  of  New 
York,  the  upper  part  of  the  frame  is  also  of  White  Oak;  but 
such  vessels  are  less  esteemed  than  those  built  of  more  durable 

'^^        wood. 

'W  At  Boston,  the  tree-nails,  or  the  pins  by  which  the  side-planks 

are  attached  to  the  ribs,  are  of  this  si)ecies. 
■^  To  obtain  correct  notions  on  the  comparative  value  of  the 

American  White  Oak  and  the  European  Oak,  I  consulted  French, 
./         English,  and  American  shipwrights,  in  almost  all  the  ports  of  the 
United  States.  •  They  generally  agreed  that  the  European  Oak 
was  tougher  and  more  durable  from  the  superior  closeness  of  its 

I  grain,  but  that  the  American  species  was  more  elastic  and  re- 
quired a  shorter  time,  with  only  half  the  weight,  to  bend  it. 
This  advantage,  though  important  in  ship-])uilding,  does  not 
compensate  for  the  openness  of  its  pores.  Experience,  however, 
every  day  shows  that  by  growing  in  places  long  inhabited  its 


i;  I ' 


1     !| 

I 


i\ 


28 


WHITE     0  A  K. 


quality  is  improved;  and,  if  the  American  vessels  are  less 
durable  than  those  built  in  Europe,  it  is  because  the  timber  is 
not  thoroughly  seasoned. 

The  greater  part  of  the  immense  quantity  of  White  Oak  ex- 
ported from  the  United  States  is  sent  to  England.  It  is  shipped 
from  the  Northern  and  Middle  States  in  the  form  of  boards  and 
of  square  timber:  what  goes  to  England  from  Quebec  is  brought 
from  the  shores  of  LaKe  Champlain,  for  Canada  probably 
furnishes  hardly  enough  for  its  own  consumption. 

By  an  extract  from  the  custom-house  books  of  St.  John, 
which  I  have  already  quoted,  143,000  cubic  feet  of  Oak  Avoidd 
appear  to  have  entered  by  this  port  during  the  first  six  months 
of  1807.  Oddy,  in  his  Treatise  on  the  Commerce  of  Europe,  says 
that  in  the  English  dock-yards  the  White  Oak  from  British 
America  is  esteemed  excellent  timber.  The  o])inion,  simply 
considered,  is  correct;  but  that  which  comes  from  Baltimore 
and  Philadelphia  must  still  be  superior. 

Befoi-e  I  conclude  this  article,  I  must  be  allowed  to  liazard  a 
conjecture  on  the  consequences  of  the  neglect  of  all  means  of 
preserving  and  multiplying  this  tree  in  the  United  States, — 
C(msequences  which  neither  the  Federal  Government  nor  the 
States  have  taken  any  measures  to  pnnent.  From  the  increase 
of  population,  and  from  the  impoverishment  of  the  soil  produced 
l)y  a  gradual  change  in  the  climate,  the  White  Oak  will  pro- 
bivbly,  in  less  than  fifty  years,  be  the  most  rare  in  the  Middle 
States,  where  it  is  now  the  most  abundant,  aiul  in  Tennessee, 
Kentucky,  Genesee,  and  farther  north,  where  it  is  the  least 
multiplied,  it  will  l)c  tlic  uKjst  common,  and  will  replace  tlie 
species  which  now  compose  the  forests,  ])ut  whii'h  the  soil  will 
then  lie  too  fi'eble  to  sustain.  Thus,  near  the  river  Kennebeck, 
in  the  midst  of  th(>  primitive  forests,  conqiosed  of  the  LiC  hcs, 
the  Canoe  Birch,  the  Sugar  Maple,  and  the  Ilendock  Spruce,  T 
have  observed  small  tracts,  formerly  cleared  and  since  aban- 
doned, which  are  naturally  repeopled  with  the  White  and  Gray 


St. 


WHITE     OAK. 


29 


are   less 
timber  is 


Oak  ex- 
is  shipped 
)oarcls  and 
is  brought 
probably 

St.  John, 
)ak  would 
ix  months 
iropp,  says 
m  British 
m,  simply 

Baltimore 

3  hazard  a 
means  of 
States, — 
it  nor  the 
le  increase 
1  produced 
X.  will  pro- 
he  Middle 
Fennessee, 
the  least 
ppliice  tlie 
e  soil  will 
Lcnnebeck, 
!>  T.  r  lies, 
Spruce,  I 
ince   aban- 
and  Gray 


vt 

;;j^ 


Oaks;  and,  in  the  lower  part  of  Virginia,  poor  Red  Oaks,  Yellow 
Pines,  and  Loblolly  Pines,  are  extensively  replacing  trees  of  a 
better  quality.  East  of  the  mountains,  the  valleys  that  lie 
along  the  rivers  arc,  with  a  few  exceptions,  the  only  places 
where  the  Oak  could  be  advantageously  reared;  but  these  fertile 
lands  are  more  profitably  devoted  to  husbandry. 

The  American  White  Oak  cannot,  in  my  opinion,  be  regarded 
as  a  useful  acquisition  to  the  forests  of  Europe.  Its  elasticity, 
which  renders  the  young  stocks  proper  for  hoops,  is  doubtless  a 
valuable  property;  but  the  Chestnut  of  France  is  superior  for 
this  purpose,  because  it  is  moi'e  durable. 

The  White  Oak  is  used  in  the  royal  dock-yards  of  England, 
probably  because  it  has  been  found  impossible  to  procure  sup- 
jilies  of  European  Oak.  Perhaps  it  is  employed  only  for  the 
lower  part  of  the  frame,  while  the  European  Oak  is  reserved  for 
the  upper  timbers. 

If  the  advantage  of  this  comparison  be  allowed  to  be  on  the 
side  of  the  European  species,  the  Americans  should  lose  no  time 
in  introducing  it  into  their  forests.  To  corporations  parti- 
cularly, whose  property  is  less  frequently  alienated,  I  talce  the 
liberty  of  addressing  this  advice,  which,  if  followed,  would  bo 
productive  of  great  advantage  to  themselves  and  to  the  public. 
The  analogy  of  the  climates  leaves  no  doubt  of  the  perfect  suc- 
cess of  this  tree  in  the  United  States,  an  example  of  which  is 
found  in  the  garden  of  Messrs.  J.  &  W.  Bartram,  three  miles 
from  Philadelphia,  where  there  is  a  large  stock  which  has 
yielded  seed  for  several  years,  and  which  continues  to  expand 
with  viaor. 

■» 

[In  ornamental  planting,  the  AVhite  Oak  should  have  abun- 
dant space  around  it  for  expanding ;  under  such  circumstances 
it  will  throw  out  long  limbs  and  lateral  branches  of  the  most 
picturesque  beauty. 

This  tree  extends  much  lurther  to  the  west  than  is  stated  by 


( -■ 


30 


COMMON    EUROPEAN    OAK. 


our  author.  Mr.  Douglas  considers  Lake  Winnipeg  its  northern 
limit,  where  it  is  rarely  over  ten  or  twenty  feet  high.  The 
White  Oak  everywhere  shrinks  from  tlie  sea-breeze. 

A  tree  of  this  species,  near  Boston,  Massachusetts,  measured 
in  1840  twenty-five  feet  and  nine  inches  in  circumference.] 

PLATE  I. 

A  branch  xoith  leaves  and  acorns  of  the  natural  size. 
[See  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  i.  pp.  24,  oo.] 


COMMON  EUROPEAN   OAK. 

QuEBCUS  ROBUR.     Q.  folus  petiolatis,  oblongis,  glabris,  sinuatis,  lobis  ro- 
tundatis  ;  fructibus  oblongis,  sessilibus. 

To  the  particular  attention  bestowed  upon  this  interesting 
tree  in  modern  times  is  owing  its  division  into  two  species,— 
the  Common  European  Oak,  Quercus  robur,  and  the  European 
White  Oak,  Quercus  pedunculata. 

These  two  species,  which  are  much  alike  and  are  usually 
considered  as  the  same,  grow  in  the  same  countries,  and  fre- 
quently together.  They  constitute  the  greater  part  of  the 
European  forests,  from  the  60th  to  the  35th  degree  of  north 
latitude,  overspreading  a  great  part  of  the  north  of  Asia  and  the 
northern  extremity  of  Africa.  They  are  most  abundantly  mul- 
tiplied on  the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  in  Germany,  England, 
France,  and  some  parts  of  Italy,  where  the  climate  is  particu- 
larly fav()ral)le  to  their  growth. 

The  Common  European  Oak  is  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  in 


northern 
?li.     The 


ri 


measured 
ice.] 


?,  lobis  ro- 

terestmg 
pecies, — 
European 

usually 
and  fre- 
t  of  the 
of  north 
.  and  the 
itly  mul- 
England, 

particu- 


y  feet  in 


i  I 


A 


I 

IMi 


COMMON  EUROPEAN    OAK. 


81 


height,  numerously  ramified,  and  crowned  with  an  ample  and 
majestic  summit.  The  bark  upon  the  trunk  is  thick,  and,  upon 
old  stocks,  (1<  oply  furrowed.  The  leaves  are  pctiolated,  smooth, 
and  of  a  uniiorm  color  on  both  sides,  enlarged  toward  the  sum- 
mit, and  very  coarsely  toothed.  The  acorns  are  oval  and  sessile^ 
which  is  the  principal  diflerence  between  the  two  species. 

This  tree  prefers  high  places  and  the  declivities  of  hills,  Avith 
a  barren  gravelly  soil;  hence  it  grows  more  slowly,  and  its 
wood  is  more  compact,  tougher,  and  heavier,  than  that  of  the 
European  White  Oak.  It  is  less  used  for  household  stuff  and 
other  kinds  of  joinery,  because  it  is  less  easily  wrought ;  but  is 
more  esteemed  for  building  and  for  works  that  require  great 
strength  and  dui-ability. 

The  Common  European  Oak  is  subdivided  into  many  vaine- 
ties,  the  most  valuable  of  which  are  the  European  Black  Oak. 
Querciis  rohur  lamiginosa,  and  the  Qaercus  rohur  glomerata. 
The  first  is  only  thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  with  small  thi^k 
leaves,  very  downy  underneath ;  its  timber  is  compact  and  ex- 
cellent for  fuel.  The  second  never  rises  to  a  great  height ;  the 
leaves  are  small,  but  smooth  on  both  sides;  the  acorns  are  of  an 
inferior  size  and  collected  in  clusters  upon  a  short  common 
peduncle.* 

PLATE  II. 

A  branch  of  the  Common  European  Oak,  with  leaves  and  acorns  of  ike 
natural  size. 


*  [For  a  highly-interesting  account  of  this  tree  and  the  ensuing  one,  Q.  pedun- 
culata,  see  Loudon's  Arboretum  Britannicum,  vol.  iii.  p.  1740.] 


EUROPEAN  WHITE   OAK. 


V 


■     i 


QuERCUS  I'KDUNCL'i.ATA.     Q.  foliis  fnihsf.'^.^l/i'hxs,  rjhibris,  sh}}iafis ;  fruc- 

iihas  oblov(/is,  pi(hineuhitis. 

The  European  White  Oak  grows  of  choice  in  rich  bottoms, 
where  the  soil  is  deep  and  moderately  humid.  It  reaches  the 
height  of  ninety  or  one  hundred  feet,  and  has  a  large,  ■well-pro- 
portioned truidc,  which  is  ol'ten  undivided  for  a  considerable 
distance,  and  which  spreads  into  a  large,  commanding  summit. 
The  bark  ujjon  the  body  is  very  thick,  and,  on  old  trees,  deeply 
furrowed ;  upon  the  limbs  and  the  young  stocks  it  is  grayish, 
smooth,  and  glossy.  The  leaves  are  of  a  light  green  on  the 
upi)er  surface,  whitish  beneath,  widened  toward  the  summit, 
deeply  sinuated  with  blunted  points,  and  supported  by  short 
petioles  like  those  of  the  American  White  Oak.  They  are  more 
or  l(>ss  divided  according  to  the  age  of  the  tree  and  to  the 
moisture  of  the  soil.  A  part  of  the  dry  discolored  foliage 
persists  through  the  winter  and  falls  the  ensuing  spring. 

Besides  the  difl'erenco  of  the  foliage,  this  species  is  constantly 
distinguished  I'rom  the  preceding  by  its  IVuit,  which  is  sup- 
ported singly  or  in  pairs  by  slender  peduncles,  two,  three,  or 
even  four  inches  long.  The  acorns  are  of  an  oval  shape,  iwrnx 
nine  to  eighteen  lines  in  length,  according  to  the  age  and  vigor 
of  the  tree,  and  contained  in  shallow  cu[>s;  they  fall  about  a 
fortnight  before  those  of  the  (,'onunou  Oak. 

The  w«)od  of  the  European  White  Oak  is  of  the  same  color 
with  that  of  the  American  species,  the  sap  being  while  and  the 
heart  ri'ddish ;  but  th»'  texture  is  closer  and  tiie  pores  fuUer, 
whicn  is  probably  the  reason  of  its  being  less  ehistic,  but 
stronger  and  more  durable.  It  is  generally  preferred  to  the 
Common  Oak.  as  it  furnishes  larger  timbers,  splits  more  regu- 


ails;  fruc- 

bottoms, 

iiclios  the 

Avc'll-pro- 

isidorable 

;  summit. 

3S,  deeply 

i  grajif^h, 

n  on  the 

.summit, 

by  short 

are  more 

id  to  the 

'd   foliage 

D' 

on.stantly 
li  is  sup- 
,  threi',  or 
ape,  from 
and  vigor 
.1  about  a 

ime  cojor 
e  aud  the 
res  fuller, 
ustic,  but 
•d  to  the 
lore  regu- 


I 


ir 


ii 


m 


)i 


m 


I  Hi 


^'"j" 

;*;■ 


F 
if'" 


■     h"       I 


MOSSY-CUP     OAK. 


83 


larly,  and  is  more  easily  Avrought;  hence  it  is  highly  esteemed 
for  the  construction  of  houses  and  ships,  and  extensively  em- 
ployed by  the  joiner,  the  wheelwright,  and  the  cooper. 

Throughout  Europe,  except  in  the  north  of  Russia,  the  bark 
of  the  Common  Oak  and  the  White  Oak  is  almost  exclusively 
used  in  tanning.  That  Avhich  is  taken  from  the  branches 
and  from  small  stocks  is  preferred,  because  the  epidermis  is 
thinner,  and  the  cellular  tissue,  which  contains  the  tannin, 
more  abundant. 

Oak  wood  is  more  generally  used  in  Europe  than  in  the 
United  States,  where  the  different  species  of  Ash,  Birch,  etc.  in 
some  measure  supply  its  place.  The  European  White  Oak 
would  be  a  valuable  addition  to  the  American  forests,  and  I 
have  sent  out  acorns  to  begin  the  formation  of  nurseries. 


PLATE  11. 

A  branch  of  t/ie  EarojKan  While  Oak,  wiih  Icaccs  and  acorns  of  the 
natural  size. 


MOSSY- CUP   OAK. 

QuERCus  OLiViEFOUMis.  Q.  foliis  oblonrjis,  (jlahris,  subtas  glaucis,  pro. 
funde  ina:qmlitcrqm  sbmato-lobatis ;  fructu  ovato ;  cupidd  profimdius 
cratcratd,  supcrne  crinild;  glande  oUmfornii. 

I  iLWE  observed  this  species  of  Oak  only  in  the  State  of  Now 
York,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  above  Albany  and  in  Gene- 
see, where  it  is  so  rare  that  it  has  hitherto  received  no  specific 
name. 

Its  leaves  are  of  a  light  green  above  and  whitish  beneath  : 
they  resemble  those  of  the  White  Oak  in  color,  but  difler  from 

Vor,.  \.~i\ 


MOSSY- CUP     OAK. 

them  in  form,  being  larger,  and  very  deeply  and  irregnlarly 
laciniatcd,  with  rounded  lobes  so  various  in  shape  that  it  is 
impossible  to  lind  two  leaves  that  are  alike.  The  acorns  are  of 
an  elongated  oval  foi'm,  and  are  enclced  in  cups  of  nearly  the 
same  configuration,  of  which  the  scales  are  prominent  and  re- 
curved, except  near  the  edge,  where  they  terminate  in  slender, 
ilexible  filaments.  From  this  peculiarity  I- have  derived  the 
name  of  MusNy-cup  Oak. 

This  tree  is  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  height,  with  a  spacious 
sunnnit  and  an  imposing  aspect.  The  bark  is  white  and  lami- 
nated; but  the  tree  is  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  form  and  dis- 
position of  its  secondary  branches,  which  are  slender,  flexible, 
and  always  inclined  toward  the  earth.  This  peculiarity  alone 
would  render  it  a  valuable  acquisition  for  parks  and  gardens. 

As  I  have  met  with  this  species  only  in  uninhabited  places,  I 
have  had  little  opportunity  of  examining  its  wood :  as  far  as  I 
can  judge,  it  is  not  better  than  that  of  the  White  Oak,  though 
far  superior  to  that  of  the  Red  Oak. 

[Pursh  found  this  Oak  on  iron-ore  hills  in  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia,  and  adds  that  in  general  appearance  it  resembles 
Q  macrocttipa.'] 

PLATE  III. 

Leaves  of  the  natural  size.  Fig.  1.  An  acoDi  with  the  cup.  Fig.  2. 
An  acorn  without  the  cup. 

[See  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  i.  p.  24.] 


irregularly 
that  it  is 

1 

orns  are  of 

nearly  the 

ent  and  re- 

in slender, 

derived  the 

1  a  spacious 
e  and  lami- 

■ 

rin  and  dis- 

ier,  flexible, 

liarity  alone 

gardens. 

ted  places,  I 
:  as  far  as  I 

Oak, though 

^ylvania  and 
it  resembles 

cup.    Fig.  2. 


//.„.„./■ 


()v(M-  ('u|>\Miilr  Oak. 


'^r^^^f^^f^SftflOt", 


■^'*'«**.-:      ..-^.. 


/'/■  +. 


► 


} 


//., /■ 


Ijp*" 


I 
! 


!     li 


r  I 


OYER-CUP  WHITE   OAK. 

QiiERCUS  MACROCAKPA.  Q.  foliis  subtomciitosis profundc  hjratimqne  sinuato- 
lobatis,  obUisis;  fruclu  mnximo;  ciqyuM  profundiits  eratcratd,  superne 
cnnitCi;  glande  turgidc-otatd. 

This  interesting  species  is  most  multiplied  beyond  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  in  the  fertile  districts  of  Kentucky  and  West  Tennessee, 
and  in  Upper  Louisiana  near  the  Missouri.'''  It  is  called  by  the 
Americans  Bur  Oak  and  Over-cup  White  Oak,  and,  by  the  French 
of  lUinois,  Chene  d,  g.  os  gland. 

It  is  a  beautiful  tree,  more  than  sixty  feet  in  height,  laden 
with  dark,  tufted  foliage.  The  leaves  are  larger  than  those  of 
any  other  Oak  in  the  United  States,  being  frequently  fifteen 
inches  long  and  eight  broad :  they  are  notched  near  the  summit, 
and  deeply  laciniated  below.  The  acorns,  which  are  also  larger 
than  those  of  any  other  American  species,  are  oval,  and  enclosed 
for  two-thirds  of  their  length  in  a  thick,  rugged  cup,  bordered 
with  fine  flexible  filaments.  Sometimes,  however,  in  compact 
forests  or  in  very  temperate  seasons,  the  filaments  do  not  appear, 
and  the  edge  of  the  cup  is  smooth  and  bent  inward. 

The  fructification  of  this  tree  is  not  abundant,  and,  as  its 
wood  is  inferior  to  that  of  the  White  Oak,  it  is  little  esteemed 
in  the  United  States. 

I  have  observed,  as  well  as  my  father,  who  first  made  the 
remark,  that  the  young  branches  are  frequently  covered  with  a 
yellowish  fungous  substance,  like  those  of  the  Elm  and  Sweet 
Gum. 


m 


[A  specimen  of  this  tree  standing  about  three  miles  from  Troy, 
Ohio,  has  been  measured;  its  dimensions  are  as  follows: — the 


[According  to  Pursh,  ou  dry  slate  or  limestone  hills.] 


35 


"« 
^ 


POST     OAK. 

diameter  at  one  foot  above  the  ground,  seventeen  feet;  at  six 
feet  above  the  ground,  fourteen  feet  nine  inches.  The  trunk 
rises  about  fifty  feet  without  limbs,  and  with  scarcely  a  percep- 
tible diminution  in  size.  The  top  branches  rise  one  hundred 
feet  above  the  earth. 

As  a  tree  for  ornamental  planting,  the  Over-ciqi  Oak  is  attract- 
ing much  attention;  its  introduction  is  the  beginning  of  a  taste 
for  the  finest  trees  of  our  own  land.  The  macrocarpa  is  surely 
one  of  these,  both  from  its  fine  growth,  large  leaves  and  fruit, 
and  its  magnificence.  This  Oak  is  remarkable  when  young  for 
the  corl-y  appearance  of  its  bark,  in  which  it  differs  from  other 
Oaks  and  resembles  the  Cork-bark  Elm.] 

PLATE  IV. 

A  leaf  of  half  the  natural  size.  Fig,  1.  An  Acorn  in  the  cup,  of  the 
natural  size. 


POST   OAK. 

QuERCUS  OBTUsiLOBA.  Q.  foliis  sinuatis,  siibtus  pnhcscentihus,  lobis  oh- 
insis,  superioribus  dilatatis,  bilobis;  fructu  nicdiocri;  (jlande  brevi- 
ovntd. 

Quercus  stellnta,  Willd,  Sp.  PI 

In  New  Jersey,  near  the  sea,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadel- 
phia, this  species  is  thinly  disseminated  in  the  forests,  and  has 
hitherto  been  considei'cd  as  a  variety  of  the  White  Oak.  In 
Maryland  and  a  great  part  of  Virginia,  where  it  a1)ounds,  and 
where  its  properties  are  better  understood,  it  is  called  Box 
White  Oak,  and  sometimes  Iron  Oak  and  Post  Oak.  The  last 
denomination  only  is  used  in  the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  and  East 
Tennessee. 


et;  at  six 
Dhe  trunk 
'  a  percep- 
e  hundred 

;  is  attract- 
;  of  a  taste 
u  is  surely 
and  fruit, 
I  young  for 
from  other 


}e  cup,  oj 


ihis,  (obis  ob- 
gJmide    brevi- 

ILLD,  Sp.  PI 

of  Phihadel- 
>sts,  and  has 
te  Oak.  In 
ibounds,  and 
called  Box 
k.  The  last 
^ia,  and  East 


TTfRP 


i 


JAVi 


'/i..7,.„ 


^'^XS- 


I'osI    Oak 


ityA//»/i'.'' 


I  ! 


^ 


I  ' 


liii 


POST     OAK. 


37 


■  « 


Tlie  steep  banks  of  the  Hudson,  nearly  opposite  to  the  city 
of  New  York,  are  the  most  northern  point  at  which  I  have 
observed  it.  Even  here  its  existence  seems  to  be  secured  only 
by  the  influence  of  the  sea-air,  which  tempers  to  a  certain 
degree  the  severity  of  the  winter.  A  little  fiirther  inland  it  is 
not  found  in  the  forests.  In  the  vicinity  of  South  Amboy, 
thirty  miles  nearer  the  sea,  where  the  soil  is  dry  and  sandy,  it  is 
more  nmltiplied ;  and  it  becomes  still  more  vigorous  and  more 
common  in  advancing  toward  the  South.  Westward,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, I  saw  the  last  individual  of  this  species  a  little  beyond 
Carlisle,  on  the  road  to  Pittsburg,  150  miles  from  Philadelphia. 
Near  Baltimore,  at  the  distance  of  210  miles  from  New  York,  it 
abounds  in  the  woods  and  attains  its  utmost  expansicm.  In 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee  it  is  rare,  except  on  the  edges  of  the 
sw;  ps  enclosed  in  the  forests,  about  which  it  is  nuiltiplied, 
+V'  I  iot  fully  developed.  It  probably  exists  in  Lower  Loui- 
siana; for  we  met  with  it  in  East  Florida,  of  which  the  climate 
is  the  same. 

But  it  is  nowhere  more  abundant  than  in  Maryland  and  in 
Virginia,  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  sea.  Wherever  the 
soil  is  dry,  gravelly,  and  unsubstantial,  it  forms  a  considerable 
proportion  of  the  forests,  which  are  composed  principally  of  the 
Black,  Scarlet,  S[)anish,  and  Black  Jack  Oaks,  the  Dogwood  and 
file  Yellow  Pine.  These  woods  exhibit  a  squalid  appearance, 
occasioned  not  only  by  the  sterility  of  the  soil,  but  by  the  injury 
they  iirc  constantly  sustaining  from  the  cattle  which  range 
through  them  at  all  seasons,  and  which  in  winter  are  compelled, 
by  the  wjuit  of  herbage,  to  subsist  upon  the  young  sprouts  and 
the  shoots  of  the  preceding  year.  The  upper  part  of  the  two 
Carolinas  iind  Georgia,  partic\ilarly  where  the  Pine  and  Oak 
forests  unite,  is  analogous  in  soil  to  that  portion  of  Virginia  of 
which  we  have  been  sjieaking.  and  alxmnds  in  the  Post  Oak; 
but  nearer  the  sea  the  barr(>n  wastes  are  covered  with  tlie  Long- 
leaved  Pine,  and  the  Oak  i^  seen  only  in  the  lowest  parts  of  the 


ip 


or' 


POST     OAK. 


i 


!■! 


liljji 

If 


If 


:  .J 


swamps,  about  tlie  j)lantations,  and  on  tracts  that  have  been 
exhausted  lij  cultivation  and  abandoned. 

The  leaves  are  borne  by  short  petioles,  and  are  of  a  dusky 
green  above  and  grayish  beneath.  They  are  four  or  five  inches 
in  length,  thick,  and  even  coriaceous  towax'd  the  end  of  summer, 
deeply  and  regularly  sinuated,  and  are  divided  into  four  or  five 
rounded  lobes,  of  which  the  two  nearest  the  summit  are  the 
broadest.  Toward  the  fall  the  ribs  ai'e  of  a  rosy  tint,  instead 
of  a  purplish  red,  like  those  of  the  Scarlet  Oak.  The  fructifica- 
tion seldom  fails.  The  acorns  are  small,  oval,  and  covered  for  a 
third  of  their  length  with  a  slightly-rugged  grayish  cup.  They 
are  very  sweet,  and  form  a  delicious  food  for  squirrels  and  wild 
turkeys;  hence  the  tree  is  sometimes  called  Tuikey  Oak. 

The  height  of  this  species  rarely  exceeds  forty  or  fifty  feet, 
with  a  diameter  of  fifteen  inches.  Its  summit,  even  when  com- 
pressed in  the  forests,  is  disproportionately  large,  owing  probably 
to  the  early  division  of  the  trunk  into  several  limbs,  with  which 
the  secondary  l)ranches  form  more  open  angles  than  is  common 
on  other  trees.  The  branch.es  also  are  bent  into  elbows  at  cer- 
tain distances,  which  gives  so  peculiar  an  appearance  to  the  tree 
that  it  is  easily  distiuguished  when  the  leaves  are  fallen.  The 
bark  upon  the  trunk  is  thin  and  of  a  grayish  white.  The  wood 
is  yellowish,  witli  no  tinge  of  red.  Growing  upon  a  less  humid 
soil,  it  is  less  elastic,  but  finer-grained,  stronger,  and  more  dura- 
ble, than  the  White  Oak ;  hence  it  is  preferred  for  posts,  and  is 
used  with  advantage  by  wheelwrights  and  coopers. 

In  ship-building  it  is  used  principally  for  the  knees,  and  is 
admitted  into  the  lower  part  of  the  frame.  It  rarely  furnishes 
side-planks  or  timber  of  considerable  leugth:  ibr  this  reason  it 
is  less  esteemed  than  the  White  Oak,  and  it  is.  ])esides.  less 
common,  except  in  Maryland  and  certain  parts  of  Virginia. 

The  preference  given  in  the  West  Indies  to  the  staves  IVom 
Haltimore  and  Norfolk  is  due  in  a  great  measure  to  their  being 
made  of  the  Post  Oak. 


lave  been 

f  a  dusky 
live  inches 
f  summer, 
)ur  or  five 
it  are  the 
nt,  instead 
i  fructifica- 
s'ered  for  a 
up.  They 
s  and  wild 
)ak. 

r  fifty  feet, 
when  com- 
ig  probably 
with  which 
is  common 
lows  at  cer- 
to  the  tree 
lUen.     The 
The  wood 
less  humid 
more  dura- 
losts,  and  is 

nees,  and  is 
ly  furnishes 
lis  reason  it 
iK'sides.  less 
'irginla. 
staves  from 
llieir  being 


1 


/'.//•,,-!•„.;  ./. 


()\(l     (  "up     (  )ill\ 

(hit /in,'    /1//1//1/ 


/'/ 1> 


.#^*-~' 


HI 


1(1 

.1 


li  ! 


C 


OVER-CUP    OAK. 


89 


This  tree,  though  only  of  secondary  sue,  should  be  propagated 
in  America  and  introduced  into  the  forests  of  Europe. 

[Emerson  mentions  this  tree  as  growing  on  Martha's  Vineyard, 
much  beyond  the  northern  limit  assigned  to  it  by  Michaux. 
Elliot  says,  "  Its  timber  is  sujiposed,  in  strength  and  durability, 
to  sui'pass  that  of  any  other  species  of  the  Oak ;  and  therefore 
it  is  highly  prized  when  it  can  be  obtained  sufficiently  large  to 
be  used  in  the  construction  of  vessels."  Staves  of  it  are  greatly 
esteemed:  its  timber  is  sometimes  confounded  with  the  White 
Oak,  which  it  greatly  resembles.] 

PLATE  V. 

A  branch  ivith  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 
[See  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  i.  p.  23.] 


OYER-CUP  OAK. 

QuERCus  LYRATA.  Q.  foliis  suhscssHibus,  glabvis,  bjrato-sinuosis,  sum- 
mitatc  dilaiatd,  dimricato-trilobd,  lobis  acutanfjulis,  terminali  Iricuspide; 
cupula  dcprcsso-fflobosd,  niuricato-scabrald ;  ylande  subtectd. 

In  the  United  States  I  have  met  with  this  interesting  species 
only  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Carolinas  and  of  Georgia.  It  pro- 
bably exists  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  in  Lower  Louisiana; 
and  I  have  observed  it  on  the  St.  John,  in  East  Florida,  in 
situations  analogous  to  those  in  which  it  flourishes  a  little 
farther  north.  In  Georgia  and  Carolina  it  is  not  extensively 
multiplied,  and  has  been  distinguished  only  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  places  where  it  grows.     It  is  called  Swamp  Post  Oak, 


Il  ■  I 


HI  rv  i'li 


Ni 


40 


OVER-CUP    OAK. 


Over-cup  Oak,  and  Water  White  Oak.  The  first  of  these  de- 
nomiiiatit)ns  indicates  an  analogy  between  its  foliage  and  tluit  of 
the  Post  Oak,  and  the  second  a  remarkable  peculiarity  of  its 
fruit,  of  which  the  acorn  is  covered  by  the  cup.  The  name  of 
Over-cup  Oak  is  the  most  common  in  South  Carolina,  and  that 
of  Swamp  Post  Oak  on  the  Savannah  in  Georgia. 

The  Over-cup  Oak  grows  in  more  humid  situations  than  any 
other  species  of  this  genus  in  the  United  States.  It  is  never 
seen  in  the  long  narrow  marshes  which  intersect  the  pine-bar- 
rens, but  is  found  exclusively  in  the  great  swamps  on  the  borders 
of  the  rivers,  which  are  often  overflowed  at  the  rising  of  the 
waters  and  are  inaccessible  during  three-quarters  of  the  year. 
In  these  gloomy  forests  it  is  united  with  the  Large  Tupelo, 
White  Elm,  Wahoo,  Planer  Tree,  Carolinian  Poplar,  Water 
Bitternut  Hickory,  and  Water  Locust. 

It  expands  to  a  majestic  si'/e,  and  the  influence  of  a  deep  and 
constantly -humid  soil  is  shown  in  the  luxuriancy  of  its  vegeta- 
tion. On  the  banks  of  the  Savannah  I  have  seen  stocks  which 
were  more  than  eighty  feet  high  and  from  eight  to  twelve  feet 
in  circumference.  The  leaves  are  six  or  eight  inches  long, 
smooth,  narrow,  lyre-shaped,  deeply  sinuated,  and  borne  by 
short  petioles.  The  lobes,  particularly  the  two  upper  ones,  are 
truncated,  and  from  their  resemblance  in  this  respect  to  those  of 
the  Post  Oak  is  derived  the  name  of  Swamp  Post  Oak.  The 
foliage  is  thick  and  of  a  light,  agreeable  tint.  The  acorns,  un- 
like those  of  the  Oaks  in  general,  which  arc  of  an  elongated 
oval  shape,  are  broad,  round,  and  depressed  at  the  summit : 
they  are  sometimes  from  twelve  to  eighteen  lines  in  diameter 
from  side  to  side,  and  from  six  to  ten  lines  from  the  base  to  the 
summit.  The  cup,  which  is  nearly  closed,  is  thin,  and  its  scales 
are  terminated  by  short,  firm  points. 

The  bai'k  upon  the  trunk  is  white,  and  the  wood,  though  in- 
ferior to  that  of  the  White  Oak  and  the  Post  Oak,  is  more  com 
pact  than  would  be  supposed  from  the  soil  in  which  it  grows; 


f  these  de- 
and  that  of 
arity  of  its 
le  name  of 
a,  and  that 

IS  than  any 
It  is  never 
lie  pine-bar- 
the  borders 
ising  of  the 
)f  the  year, 
rge  Tupelo, 
plar,  Water 

r  a  deep  and 
)f  its  vegeta- 
•stocks  which 
>  twelve  feet 
inches  long, 
id   borne   by 
per  ones,  are 
ct  to  those  of 
it  Oak.     The 
e  acorns,  un- 
an  elongated 
the  summit : 
?  in  diameter 
le  base  to  the 
and  its  scales 


id,  though  in- 
,  is  more  com 
lich  it  grows; 


' ! '    ' 


n     II: 


' 


n 


I  I 


!i'  I 


Av.'.i  .C./ 


wSwamj)  \\  Iiilo  Oak 


/'/ 


.  J*-*^*'" 


I 


SWAMP     WHITE     OAK. 


41 


the  pores  are  observable  only  between  the  concentrical  circles, 
and  are  more  regularly  disposed  than  in  other  trees. 

This  species  is  the  largest  and  the  most  highly  esteemed  among 
the  Oaks  that  grow  in  wet  grounds.  Its  propagation  should  be 
attempted  in  the  forests  of  Europe,  where  no  doubt  can  be  en- 
tertained of  its  success.  The  acorns  which  I  sent  to  France 
several  years  since,  though  sown  upon  uplands,  have  produced 
flourishing  plants,  which  bear  the  winter  of  Paris  without  injury. 

PLATE  VI. 

A  branch  with  Icacts  and  fruit  0/  the.  statural  size. 


SWAMP  WHITE   OAK. 

Qlkiici's  riUNUs  discoloh.     Q.  foliis  uliluniju-obovatis  .■n.i.dt.s  al(iu-t<  ntrn- 

tosis,  i/rosse  dintatis,  ha.si  iidcijerrimls^  dtnlibus   inaqnnlibiis  dihitali-i ; 

fruciihus  lonr/i  pcdunctdalis, 

Qucrcus  bicolor.     Wili.d. 

This  species  is  known  in  the  United  States  only  by  the  name 
of  Swamp  White  Oak,  which  indicates  at  once  the  soil  which  it 
prefers  and  its  analogy  to  the  White  Oak. 

1  first  observed  it  near  Portsmouth  in  New  Hampshire;  but 
it  is  less  multiplied  in  this  hititude  than  in  the  Middle  and 
Western  States.  It  particularly  attracted  my  attention  in  New 
Jersey  near  the  city  of  New  York,  on  the  Delaware  in  Penn- 
sylvania, on  the  Susquehanna  in  Virginia,  and  beyond  the 
mountains  on  tlii'  Ohio  in  Kentucky,  and  on  the  llolston,  near 
Kiioxville,  in  East  Tennessee;  1  have  also  seen  it  on  the  shores 
of  Luke  Champlain  and  Lake  Ontario.     Except  the  district  of 


il 


m 


42 


SWAMP    WHITE     OAK. 


Maine  and  the  maritime  parts  of  the  f^outheiui  section,  it  is 
diffused  throughout  the  United  States :  in  comparison,  however, 
with  several  other  species,  it  is  not  common,  being  found  only 
on  the  edges  of  swami)s  and  in  wet  phices  exposed  to  inunda- 
tions, and  not  in  the  forests  at  Large,  like  the  White  Oak,  the 
Black  Oak,  &c.  In  New  Jersey  it  is  associated  with  the  Pin 
Oak,  the  Red-flowei'ing  Maple,  the  White  Ash,  the  Tupelo,  and 
the  Shellbark  Hickory.  On  the  shores  of  Lake  Champlain, 
which  occasionally  offer  similar  situations,  particularly  at  a 
little  distance  from  Skeensljorough,  it  is  mingled  with  the  White 
Maples,  Avhioh  occupy  the  next  line  to  the  Willows  in  retiring 
from  the  shore. 

The  Swamp  White  Oak  is  a  beautiful  tree,  more  than  seventy 
feet  in  lieight,  of  which  the  vegetation  is  vigorous  and  the 
foliage  luxuriant.  The  leaves  are  six  or  eight  inches  long  and 
four  inches  broad,  smooth  and  of  a  slightly-dark  green  above, 
downy  and  light-colored  beneath;  they  are  entire  toward  the 
base,  which  is  cuneifoi'm,  but  are  widened  and  coarsely-toothed 
for  two-thirds  of  their  length  toward  the  summit.  The  tree  is 
distinguished  when  young  by  the  form  of  its  base  and  by  the 
down  upon  its  leaves,  which  is  more  sensible  to  the  touch  than 
on  any  analogous  species.  At  n  riper  age  the  lower  side  of  the 
leaf  is  of  a  silvery  white,  Avhich  is  strikingly  contrasted  with  the 
bright  green  of  the  u[)[)(M'  surface;  hence,  the  specific  nauie  of 
dhvolor  was  given  it  b}'  Dr.  Muhlenberg. 

The  iicorns  nre  s\ve<'t,  but  seldoui  abundant;  they  are  rather 
large,  of  a  brown  ((tiuplexion.  and  contained  in  a  spreading  cuj) 
edged  with  snort,  slender  filaments,  more  downy  within  than 
those  of  any  other  Onk.  and  siipi)orted  by  peduncles  one  or  two 
inches  in  length. 

The  trunk  is  clad  in  a  scaly  grayish-white  bark.  The  wood 
IH  strong,  elastic,  and  heavier  than  that  of  the  White  Oak.  in 
stocks  more  than  ii  foot  in  diiinieter  the  grain  is  fine  and  ('U)se 
and  the  port's  iire  nenrly  (tl>liternti(l.     it  splits  easily  and  in  a 


M 


SWAMP    WHITE     OAK. 


43 


tiou,  it  is 
,  however, 
ound  only 
to  iuiuula- 
2  Oak,  the 
li  the  Pin 
upelo,  and 
'hamplain, 
larly  at  a 
the  White 
in  retiring 

an  seventy 
IS  and  the 
s  long  and 
een  above, 
toward  the 
ely-toothed 
The  tree  is 
and  by  the 
toueh  than 
side  of  the 
,'d  with  the 
lie  name  of 


straight  line,  and  is  esteemed  next  in  quality  to  the  While  Oak, 
though  from  its  rareness  it  is  but  accidentally  employed  in  the 
arts. 

If,  as  I  incline  to  believe,  the  Swamp  White  Oak  is  found  by 
more  accurate  experiments  to  be  superior  to  the  White  Oak,  it 
must  be  considered  as  a  very  valuable  tree,  and  its  increase 
should  be  favored  at  the  expense  of  the  Red-flowering  Maple, 
the  Bitternut  Hickory,  the  Hornbeam,  and  other  species  which 
grow  in  the  same  exposures.  It  seems  also  to  deserve  a  place 
in  the  forests  of  Europe,  where,  in  moist  grounds,  it  might  be 
blended  or  alternated  with  the  Ashes,  the  Alders,  and  the 
Poplars. 

[This  tree  occasionally  attains  a  large  size.  One  is  mentioned 
growing  in  a  wet.  clayey  soil,  measuring  twelve  feet  and  one 
inch  in  circumference  at  four  feet  from  the  ground.  The  wood 
is  of  a  biownish  color,  heavy,  coupact,  and  fine-grained,  and  is 
preferred  by  some  for  boat-building  to  the  White  Oak.] 

PLAT^i)  VII. 

A  branch  with  leaves  ami  fnnt  of  (he  natural  size. 
[See  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  i.  p.  28.] 


Y  are  rather 
reading  cup 
vithin  than 
<  one  or  two 


The  wood 
Ic  Oak.  In 
le  and  dose 
lily  and  in  a 


^1 


Hi 


l\ 


CHESTNUT   WHITE    OAK. 

QuEiicus  PKiNis  PALUST1U8.     Q.  foliis  obloiigo-ovalibtis,  acuminatis  acu- 

iisve,  subunifonuitcr  dcntatis;  cupula  cratcratd,  subsqucanom ;  glande 

ovatd. 

Quercus  prinus.     Willu. 

The  Chestnut  White  Oak  is  first  seen  within  ten  miles  of 
Phihidelphia;  but  it  is  less  multiplied  and  less  amply  developed 
than  farther  south.  It  is  most  abundant  in  the  maritime  parts 
of  the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  and  East  Florida,  and  is  probably 
found  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  which  are  analogous  to 
those  of  many  rivers  of  the  Southern  States. 

In  Pennsylvania  this  species  is  confounded  with  the  Rock 
Chestnut  Oak,  which  it  strikingly  resembles;  farther  south, 
where  the  Kock  Chestnut  Oak  is  unknown,  it  is  called  Chestnut 
White  Oak,  Swamp  Chestnut  Oak,  and  generally,  on  the  Sa- 
vannah, White  Oak. 

The  Chestnut  White  Oak  is  adorned  with  beautiful  foliage; 
the  leaves  are  eight  or  nine  inches  long,  four  or  five  inches 
broad,  obovate,  deeply  toothed,  of  a  light  shining  green  above 
and  whitish  beneath. 

The  acorns  are  brown,  oval,  larger  than  those  of  any  other 
species  except  the  Over-cup  White  Oak,  and  contained  in  shal- 
low scaly  cups.  Being  sweet-lhivored,  and  sometimes  abundant, 
they  are  sought  with  avidity  by  wild  and  domestic  animals, 
such  as  deer,  cows,  horses,  and  swine. 

The  Chestnut  White  Oak,  like  the  Over-cup  Oak.  grows  only 
in  the  large  swamps  thnt  border  the  rivers  or  are  enclosed  in 
the  forests;  but  it  alwnys  chooses  spots  that  are  rarely  inun- 
dated, where  the  soil  is  loose,  deep,  constantly  cool,  and  luxu- 
riitiitly  fertile. 

In  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia  it   is  usually  accompanied  by 
44  m 


m 


minaiis  acU' 
osd;  gUmde 

.       WiLLU. 

1  miles  of 
developed 
[time  parts 
s  probably 
nalogous  to 


L  the  Rock 
ther  south, 
id  Chestnut 
on  the  Sa- 


iful  foliage; 

live  inches 

^reen  above 

if  any  other 
ned  in  shal- 
es abundant, 
tic  animals, 


.  grows  only 

5  enclosed  in 

rarely  inun- 

)1,  and  luxu- 


ompanied  by 


M 


1  I 


:i  r 


Clu'smil  \\hil<>  ().\k. 


■i! 


Vi  :■■ 


» 


CHESTNUT     WHITE     OAK. 


45 


the  White  Elm,  the  Wahoo,  the  Big  Laurel,  the  UmbreUa  Tree, 
the  Sweet  Leaves,  the  Beach,  the  Poplar,  the  Bitternut  Hick- 
ory, and  the  Devil  "Wood.  In  this  latitude  it  attains  its  utmost 
development,  which  is  eighty  or  ninety  feet  in  stature,  with  a 
proportional  diameter.  Its  .^traight  trunk,  undivided  and  of  a 
uniform  size  to  the  height  of  fifty  leet,  and  its  expansive  tufted 
summit,  form  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  majestic  trees  of  the 
North  American  forests. 

Its  wood,  which  is  affected  by  the  richness  of  the  soil,  is  in- 
ferior to  that  of  the  Post  Oak,  the  White  Oak,  and  even  the 
Over-cup  Oak;  and  its  pores,  though  nearly  obliterated,  are 
more  open.  But  it  is  superior  to  many  other  species,  and  is 
employed  for  wheelwrights'  work  and  other  objects  which 
require  strength  and  durability.  As  it  splits  in  a  straight  line 
and  may  be  divided  into  fine  shreds,  it  is  chosen  by  the  negroes 
for  baskets  and  brooms.  Its  pores  are  too  open  to  contain  wine 
or  spirituous  liquors.  In  the  form  of  rails  it  lasts  twelve  or 
fifteen  years,  or  a  third  longer  than  the  Willow  Oak.  At 
Augusta  in  Georgia  it  is  considered  as  the  best  fuel,  and  is  sold 
at  two  or  three  dollars  a  cord. 

The  Chestnut  White  Oak  endures  the  \vjiiter  '^f  Paris,  but  its 
vegetation  would  be  quicker  in  the  more  southern  departments. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  a  tree  which  seems  formed  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  ornaments  of  our  forests  should  have  nothing  to 
recommend  it  but  its  beauty.  Other  properties  it  possesses  only 
in  a  secondary  degree,  and  in  Europe  it  will  probably  be  con- 
fined to  the  pleasure-grounds  of  amateurs. 

PLATE  VIII. 

A  branch  with  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 


ill 


' 

'']' 


M 


ROCK   CHESTNUT   OAK. 

(iuKRCUS  PRixus  jroNTicoLA.  Q.  folHs  obovcitis  acu/is  gross^  dmtalis, 
daidbus  suha'qualibus ;  f rutin  majusculo,  cupuld  iurbinatd,  scabroid; 
glande  oblovgd. 

Quorcus  niontana.     WiiiLit. 

Tins  Oak  is  among  the  sijccies  which  are  not  scattered  pro- 
miscuously in  the  forests,  but  which  grow  only  in  particular 
situations  and  easily  escape  observation;  hence,  it  is  difficult  to 
assign  its  limits  with  precision.  It  proljably  does  not  extend 
northward  far  beyond  Vermont  nor  eastward  beyond  New 
Iliunpshire.  I  have  never  seen  it  in  the  district  of  Maine  nor 
in  Nova  Scotia,  and  it  is  not  mentioned  in  my  father's  botanical 
notes  upon  Lower  Canada;  it  is  likewise  a  stranger  to  the  mari- 
time parts  of  the  Southern  States.  It  is  most  frequently  met 
with  in  the  middle  and  in  some  parts  of  the  northern  sections, 
but  is  rarely  mingled  with  other  trees  in  the  forests,  and  is 
found  only  on  high  grounds  thickly  strewn  with  stones  or 
covered  Avith  rocks.  Thus,  it  is  often  seen  on  the  steep  and 
rocky  banks  of  the  Hudson  and  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  and  still  more  frequently  on  the  Alleghanies  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Virginia.  It  forms  nine-tenths  of  the  growth  on 
some  parts  of  these  mountains,  but  the  soil  is  so  meagre  that  it 
is  thinly  disseminated  and  does  not  exceed  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  feet  in  height  .and  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter.  I  made 
this  observation  particularly  on  the  Dry  Ridges,  fifteen  miles 
from  Bedford. 

In  that  part  of  Pennsylvania,  as  well  as  in  Maryland  and 

Virginia,  it  is  known  by  the  name  of  Chestnut  Oak,  and  by  that 

of  Rock  Oak  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  and  the  shores  of 

Lake  Chinni)lain  to  the  distance  of  400  miles  from  New  York. 

Both  are  significnnt:  the  first,  of  a  remarkable  resemblance  of 
46 


*??*%i 


•oss^  dcntatis, 
ltd,  scabroid; 

la.     "VViM.li. 

attered  pro- 
n  particular 
is  difficuU.  to 

not  extend 
)eyond  New 
)f  Maine  nor 
3r's  botanical 
•  to  the  niari- 
equently  met 
lern  sections, 
•rests,  and  is 
th  stones  or 
lie  steep  and 

Lake  Cham- 
's in  Pennsyl- 
le  growth  on 
leagre  that  it 
ty  or  twenty- 
eter.     I  made 

fifteen  miles 


Maryland  and 
k,  and  by  that 
the  shores  of 
im  New  York, 
'esemblance  of 


1 


mi 


ill 


Mi 


I     •  ' 


m  I 


Ay^fM  «if' 


llock  (Micsiuil  Oak 

(htc/rthf    /*.""  iiionlico/ii 


i'  i 


:l 


i:    ! 


( 


1< 


ROCK     x'  II  E  S  T  N  U  T     OAK. 


47 


I  ho  biirk  to  that  of  the  Chestnut;  and  the  second,  of  the  situa- 
tions in  which  the  tree  is  exchisivoly  found.  For  this  reason, 
and  to  avoid  confounding  it  witli  tlie  preceding  and  following 
species,  wliich  also  grow  in  Virginia.  I  have  blended  the  two 
denominations. 

The  beautiful  appeai'ance  of  this  tree  when  growing  in  a 
fertile  soil  is  owing  equally  to  the  symmetry  of  its  foi'm  and  to 
the  luxuriance  of  its  ft)liage.  The  leaves  are  five  or  six  inches 
long,  three  or  four  broad,  oval  and  uniformly  denticulated,  with 
the  teeth  more  regular  but  less  acute  than  those  of  the  Chestnut 
White  Oak.  When  l)eginning  to  open  in  the  spring  they  are 
covered  with  a  thick  down;  but  when  fully  expanded  they  are 
perfectly  smooth,  whitish  beneath,  and  of  a  delicate  texture. 
The  petiole  is  of  a,  jellow  color,  which  becomes  brighter  toward 
the  fall. 

The  acorns  are  brown,  of  an  oblong-oval  shape,  and  sometimes 
an  inch  in  length,  a  third  part  of  which  is  contained  in  a  spread- 
ing cup  covered  with  loose  scales;  they  are  sweet-tasted,  and  are 
a  favorite  nourishment  of  wild  and  domestic  aninuds. 

The  Rock  Chestnut  Oak  is  sometimes  three  feet  in  diameter 
and  more  than  sixty  feet  high;  but,  as  its  growth  is  usually 
repressed  by  the  poverty  of  tlu  soil,  it  rarely  attains  these 
dimensions.  In  open,  elevated  situations  it  sjjreads  widely  nn<l 
forms  a  head  like  that  of  the  ainjle-tree.  When  the  trunk  ex- 
ceivls  a  foot  in  diameter  it  is  covered  with  a  thick,  linrd.  deeply- 
I'urrowed  bark.  At  New  York,  and  near  the  jUleghanies  in 
Pennsylvania,  this  si)ecies  of  bark  is  esteemed  the  best  for 
tanning.  Only  that  of  the  secondary  branches  and  of  stocks 
less  than  six  indies  thick  is  employed.  It  is  sold  at  New  York 
for  ten  or  twelve  dollars  a  cord.  The  ei)iderniis  is  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  the  tanning  principle,  which  in  other  species 
residi's  only  in  the  cellidar  tissue. 

The  wood  is  reddish,  like  that  of  the  White  Oak;  but  its 
pores  are  more  open,  though  its  sped  fie  gravity  is  greater:  pieces 


'  11 


48 


J{()CK     CHESTNUT     OAK. 


I 


;  I 


of  both  species  lieiiig  tlirown  into  water,  the  White  Oiik  remains 
on  the  surface  and  the  other  at  the  bottom.  Its  staves  are  not 
used  to  contain  spirituous  liquors.  At  New  York,  and  on  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  it  holds  the  next  place  to  the  White  Oak 
in  the  construction  of  vessels.  It  is  employed  for  the  lower 
part  of  the  frame,  and  oftener  for  the  knees  and  the  riljs. 
Pieces  of  Wliite  Oak  suited  to  these  oljjects  are  procured  with 
difficulty;  but  the  Kock  Chestnut  Oak,  growinjr  up  in  a  con- 
tinual controversy  with  the  winds,  is  more  frequently  bent  into 
the  proper  shape.  For  fuel,  it  is  next  in  price  to  tlie  Hickory. 
I  have  been  told  in  several  forges,  especially  those  at  the  foot  of 
the  North  Movvlain,  200  miles  from  Philadelphia,  that  it  is 
superior  in  this  respect  to  every  other  species  of  its  genus  except 
the  Live  Oak 

A  tree  like  this,  which  grows  in  stony  soils,  in  abrupt  unin- 
habitable exposures,  and  whose  bark  and  timl)er  are  so  valuable, 
deserves  the  particular  attention  of  American  and  European 
foresters.  They  should  sow  the  acorns  in  the  crevices  of  the 
rocks  and  wherever  the  soil  is  inca})aljle  of  cultivation.  Tiiou- 
sands  of  young  plants  already  exist  in  the  vicinity  of  Paris. 


PLATE   IX. 

A  firrnir/i  irifh  hai'rs  hikI  fruit  <ij'  tlic  lutlitrat  size. 
[See  Nuttall's  Siip])lement,  vol.  i.  pp.  28.  .S3.] 


Oak  remains 
aves  are  not 
,  and  on  the 
e  Wl.ite  Oak 
or  tliG  lower 
lid  the  riljs. 
)rocured  Avith 
up  in  a  con- 
itly  bent  into 
the  Hickory, 
at  the  foot  of 
ia,  that  it  is 
i  genus  except 

1  abrupt  unin- 
re  so  valuable, 
ind  European 
:!revices  of  the 
,'ation.  Thou- 
y  of  Paris. 


sue. 


mp* 


'   !  i   li' 


"  IS 


''1 


,1 1 


r 


1  ' 


/'  it.^ui.-  .1,1 


VrlloNV  Oak 

(hhril/.\     P"'  (tCN/lll/IK/tl  . 


/y.u: 


'I  I       I     . 


IM 


! 


,1 


YELLOW  OAK. 

QuERCUS  PRINUS  ACUMINATA.     Q.  foliis  lo)uji  pdiohitis,  acimuudis,  sub- 
mquallkr  daitatis;  fnidu  maUocrl;  cupula  sulihcm(,y>ha:ricd. 

Quercus  castanca.     Willd. 

The  banks  of  the  Uclawavo  may  be  assumed  as  the  northern 
limit  of  the  Yellow  Oak.  It  scarcely  exists  in  the  maritime 
parts  of  the  Southern  States,  where  I  have  seen  only  a  few 
stocks  near  Two  Sisters'  Ferry  on  the  Savannah  in  Georgia,  and 
a  sinti'le  one  on  the  Cape  Fear,  a  mile  from  Fayetteville,  in  North 
Carolina.  In  the  Middle  and  Western  States,  though  more 
ct)mmon,  it  is  still  rare  in  comparison  with  many  other  trees, 
and  is  sometimes  lost  sight  of  by  the  traveller  for  several  days 
in  succession.  I  have  most  particularly  observed  it  on  the  small 
river  Conestoga  near  Lancaster  in  Pennsylvania,  on  the  Monon- 
gahela  a  little  nbove  Pittsburg,  and  in  several  small  tracts  near 
til'-'  Ilolston  and  Nolachuky  in  East  Tennessee.  In  the  Mono- 
gvaphy  of  American  Oaks,  my  father  takes  notice  of  its  exist- 
ence in  the  country  of  the  Illinois. 

Near  Lancaster  this  tree  is  called  Yellow  Oak,  from  the  com- 
plexion of  its  wood;  but  in  other  parts  of  the  United  States  it 
is  confounded  with  the  Chestnut  White  Oak  and  Kock  Chestnut 
Oak,  to  Avhich  it  bears  some  resemblance  in  its  folisige. 

The  leaves  are  lanceolate,  acuminate,  regularly  toothed,  t)f  a 
light  green  above  and  whitish  beneath.  The  small  Mcorns  are 
contained  in  slightly-scaly  cups,  and  are  sweeter  than  those  of 
any  otlicr  species  in  the  United  States. 

The  Yellow  Oak  is  a  fine  tree,  seventy  or  eighty  feet  high 
and  two  feet  in  dianu'tev,  with  branches  tending  rather  to  close 
round  the  trunk  than  to  diJ'use  themselves  horizontally.  I  in- 
Viiriably  found  it  in  valleys  where  the  soil  was  loose,  deep,  and 
fertile.     The  bark  upon  the  truid<  is  whitish,  very  slightly  iur- 

1'...        T  4  .  -  . 


Vol..  I— 4 


l!> 


f* 


I 'I 


<■  i: 

1 1 1, 


!  i:ii  j'll 


II  1 


>  ; 


i' 


ti  I 


111 


50 


SMALL     CHESTNUT     OAK. 


rowed,  and  sometimes  divided  into  plates,  like  that  of  tht» 
Swamp  White  Oak.  The  wood  is  yellowish,  though  the  tint  is 
not  bright  enough  to  fit  it  for  peculiar  uses.  Its  pores  are  partly 
obliterated,  irregularly  disposed,  and  more  numerous  than  those 
of  any  other  American  Oak :  this  organization  must  impair  its 
strength  and  render  it  less  durable  than  the  Chestnut  White 
Oak  and  the  Rock  Chestnut  Oak. 

As  this  tree  is  so  thinly  disseminated,  it  will  not  appear  sur- 
prising that  I  should  not  have  witnessed  the  application  of  its 
wood  in  the  arts,  or  have  found  occasions  of  accurately  appre- 
ciating its  qualities.  Its  agreeable  form  and  beautiful  foliage 
render  it  proper  for  the  embellishment  of  picturesque  gardens. 

PLATE   X. 

A  branch  irilli  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 


SMALL  CHESTNUT   OAK. 

QuERCUS  PRiNUS  ciiiNCAPiN.      Q.  foliis  obovatis,  grosse  dcntatis,  siibth 
(jlaucis;  cupulCi  hemisplucrica ;  glandc  ovattl. 

Qucrcus  prinoides.     WiIjLIi, 

In  the  Northern  and  Middle  States  this  pretty  little  species  is 
called  Snudl  or  Dwarf  Chestnut  Oak,  from  the  resemblance  of 
its  leaves  to  those  of  the  Eock  Chestnut  Oak ;  as  there  is  also 
a  likeness  between  its  foliage  and  that  of  tlie  Chincapin,  it  is 
known  in  East  Tennessee  and  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Caroliniis 
by  the  name  of  the  Chincapin  Oak. 

The  Small  Chestnut  Oak  is  not  generally  diffused,  but  is  rare 
in  many  places  adapted  to  its'  constitution,  and  is  usually  foinid 


« 


hat  of  tliw 
the  tint  is 

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than  those 

b  impair  its 

itnut  White 

appear  sur- 
cation  of  it;^ 
cately  appre- 
itifiil  foliage 
que  gardens. 


ze. 


K. 


:  dcrdatis,  siihtus 

a. 

oides.     WlT.LH. 

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resemblance  of 
IS  there  is  also 
[^hincapin,  it  is 
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Small  riiosinil  Oak 

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SMALL     CHESTNUT    OAK. 


61 


in  particular  districts,  where,  alone  or  mingled  with  the  Bear 
Oak,  it  sometimes  covers  tracts  of  more  than  100  acres.  The 
presence  of  these  species  is  a  certain  proof  of  the  barrenness  of 
the  soil.  I  have  particularly  observed  the  Small  Chestnut  Oak 
in  the  vicinity  of  Providence  in  Rhode  Island,  of  Albany  in 
New  York,  of  Knoxville  in  Tennessee,  and  on  the  Alleghany 
Mountains  in  Virginia.  It  grows  spontaneously  in  the  park  of 
Mr.  W.  Hamilton,  near  Philadelphia. 

This  species,  and  another  which  is  found  in  the  Pine  forests 
of  the  Southern  States,  rarely  exceed  thirty  inches  in  height: 
they  are  the  most  diminutive  of  the  American  Oaks,  and  are 
mentioned  only  to  complete  the  series. 

The  leaves  of  the  Small  Chestnut  Oak  are  oval-acuminate, 
regularly  but  not  deeply  denticulated,  of  a  light  green  above 
and  whitish  beneath.  The  acorns  are  enclosed  for  one-third  of 
their  length  in  scaly  sessile  cups;  they  are  of  middle  size,  some- 
what elongated,  similarly  rounded  at  both  ends,  and  very  sweet. 

Nature  seems  to  have  sought  a  compensation  for  the  diminu- 
tive size  of  this  shrub  in  the  abundance  of  its  fruit:  the  stem, 
which  is  sometimes  no  bigger  than  a  quill,  is  stretched  at  full 
length  upon  the  ground  by  the  weight  of  the  thickly-clustering 
acorns.  United  witli  the  Bear  Oak,  which  is  of  the  same  size 
and  equally  prolific,  perhaps  it  might  be  cultivated  with  advan- 
tage for  its  fruit. 

PLATE   XI. 

A  branch  with  Icurcs  and  fruit  of  the.  natural  size. 
[See  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  i.  p.  33.] 


i!  '' 

III  II   ' 

I   ' 

i'  i 


n 


'^'flr 


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I  : 


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III 


LIVE  OAK. 

QuERCus  viRENS.  Q.  folUs  pcmmantHitis,  coriareis,  ovato-oblongis,junio- 
ribus  dcntatis,  vetusHoriljus  inkgris;  ctq)td(l  tarhinatd,  squamulis  abbre- 
viatis;  glandc  oblovgd. 

Tins  species,  which  is  confined  to  the  maritime  parts  of  the 
Southern  States,  the  Floridas,  and  Louisiana,  is  known  only  by 
the  name  of  Live  Oak.  The  climate  becomes  mild  enough  for 
its  growth  near  Norfolk  in  Virginia,  though  it  is  less  multiplied 
and  less  vigorous  than  in  a  more  southern  latitude.  From 
Norfolk  it  spreads  along  the  coast  for  a  distance  of  1500  or  1800 
miles,  extending  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  The 
sea-air  seems  essential  to  its  existence,  for  it  is  rarely  found  in 
the  forests  upon  the  mainland,  and  never  more  than  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  from  the  shore. 

It  is  the  most  abundant,  the  most  fully-developed,  and  of  the 
best  quality,  about  the  bays  and  creeks  and  on  the  fertile  islands 
which  in  great  numbers  lie  scattered  for  several  hundred  miles 
along  the  coast.  I  particularly  observed  it  on  the  islands  of  St. 
Sim(m,  Cumberland,  Sapelo,  etc.,  between  the  St.  John  and  the 
St.  Mary,  in  an  excursion  of  400  or  500  miles  in  a  canoe  from 
Cape  Canaveral  in  Kast  Florida  to  Savannah  in  Georgia.  1 
frequently  saw  it  upon  the  beach,  or  half  buried  in  the  moval)le 
sands  upon  the  downs,  where  it  had  preserved  its  freshness  iind 
vigor,  though  exposed  during  a  long  lapse  of  time  to  the  fury  of 
the  wintry  tempest  and  to  the  ardor  of  the  summer's  sun. 

The  Live  Oak  is  connnonly  forty  or  forty-five  i'eet  in  height 
and  from  one  to  iwo  feet  in  diameter;  but  it  is  sometimes  much 
larger.  Mr.  S.,  President  of  the  Agricultural  Society  of  Charles- 
ton, assured  iw  that  he  had  felled  a  trunk,  hollowed  by  age, 
which  was  twenty-four  feet  in  circumference.  Like  iut)st  other 
trees,  it  has,  when  insulated,  m  wide  and   lulled  Munmit.     lis 


Mongis,  junio- 
lamulis  abbre- 


parts  of  the 
own  only  by 

I  enough  for 
33  multiplied 
tude.  From 
1500  or  1800 
issippi.  The 
rely  found  in 
lan  fifteen  or 

;d,  and  of  the 
fertile  islands 
lundrcd  miles 

islands  of  St. 
John  and  the 

a  canoe  from 

II  Georgia.  1 
n  the  movable 
I  freshness  and 

to  the  fury  of 
ler's  sun. 

feet  in  height 
mu'times  nuK-li 
iety  of  C'liarles- 
)1  lowed  by  age, 
iike  most  other 
il  summit.     It^ 


imir 


i  '■  I' 


f  il 


ilu 


I--!  >:ii. 


i 


'  !    '  I 


"IW 


'I':! 


1 1 


LIVE    OAK. 


68 


trunk  is  sometimes  undivided  for  eighteen  or  twenty  feet,  but 
often  ramifies  at  half  this  heiglit,  and  at  a  distance  lias  the  ap- 
pearance of  an  old  Apple-tree  or  Pear-tree.  The  leaves  are 
oval,  coriaceous,  of  a  dark  green  above  and  whitish  beneath; 
they  persist  during  several  years,  and  are  partially  renewed 
every  spring.  On  trees  reared  upon  plantations,  or  growing  in 
cool  soils,  they  are  one-half  larger,  and  are  often  denticulated ; 
upon  stocks  of  two  or  three  years  they  are  commonly  very  dis- 
tinctly toothed. 

The  acorns  are  of  an  elongated  oval  form,  nearly  black,  and 
contained  in  shallow,  grayish,  pedunculated  cups.  The  Indians 
are  said  to  have  expressed  an  oil  from  them  to  mingle  with 
their  food ;  perhaps,  also,  they  ate  the  kernel,  which,  though  not 
agreeable  to  the  taste,  is  less  rough  and  bitter  than  that  of 
many  other  species.  The  fruit  is  sometimes  very  abundant, 
and  it  germinates  with  such  ease  that,  if  the  weather  is  rainy  at 
the  season  of  its  maturity,  many  acorns  are  found  upon  the  trees 
with  the  radicle  unfolded. 

The  bark  upon  the  trunk  is  blackish,  hard,  and  thick.  The 
wood  is  heavy,  compact,  fine-grained,  and  of  a  yellowish  color, 
which  deepens  as  the  tree  advances  in  age.  The  number  and 
closeness  of  the  concentrical  circles  evince  the  slowness  of  its 
growth.  As  it  is  very  strong,  and  incomparably  :;  ii-iv  durable 
than  the  best  White  Oak,  it  is  highly  esteemed  in  sh;;  building, 
and  is  consumed  not  only  in  the  country  which  produces  it 
but  still  more  extensively  in  the  Northern  States.  From  its 
groat  durability  when  perfectly  seasoned  it  is  almost  exclusively 
employed  for  the  upper  part  of  the  frame.  To  compensate  its 
excessive  weight  it  is  joined  with  the  Red  Cedar,  which  is  ex- 
tremely light  and  equally  lasting. 

The  Live  Oak  does  not  afford  large  timber ;  but  its  wide  and 
branching  summit  makes  amends  for  this  disadvantage  by  fur- 
nishing a  great  number  of  knees,  of  which  there  is  never  a  suf- 
ficient quantity  in  the  dock-vards. 


il 


]l     I'! 
I    li  ii 


Tl 


HI 


i:  li 


iilii; 


i|' 


54 


LIVE     OAK. 


The  vessels  built  at  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  with  the 
upper  frame  of  Red  Cedar  and  Live  Oak  and  the  lower  timbers 
of  White  Oak,  are  as  durable  as  those  constructed  of  tk?  best 
materials  in  Europe.  Brekel,  whom  I  have  already  quoted, 
says  that  the  best  tree-nails  are  of  Live  Oak ;  but  at  present  it 
is  replaced,  in  the  Southern  States,  by  the  Locust  and  the  heart 
of  the  long-leaved  Pine. 

In  the  South,  particularly  at  Charleston  and  Savannah,  this 
species  is  used  for  the  naves  and  felloes  of  heavy  wheels,  for 
which  it  is  far  ^superior  to  the  White  Oak;  it  is  more  proper, 
also,  for  screws  and  for  the  cogs  of  mill-wheels. 

The  bark  is  excellent  for  tanning,  but  is  only  accidentally 
employed. 

Besides  the  Live  Oak  timber  exported  to  England,  great 
quantities  are  used  in  ship-building  in  the  United  States,  par- 
ticularly at  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore. 
The  consumption  has  trebled  within  twenty  years,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  immense  development  of  American  commerce. 
Hence  the  price  has  doubled,  and  the  species  is  rapidly  diminish- 
ing. The  clearing  of  the  islands  for  the  culture  of  cotton,  which 
they  yield  of  a  superior  quality,  has  contributed  greatly  to  its 
destruction.  It  is  already  difficult  to  procure  sticks  of  consider- 
able size  in  the  Southern  States,  and  they  are  sought  on  the 
western  coast  of  East  Florida  between  the  St.  Mary  and  the  St. 
John.  From  St.  Augustine  to  the  Cape  the  species  is  rarer; 
but  we  are  informed  that  it  abounds  on  the  shores  of  West 
Florida,  whither  the  English  of  the  Bahama  Islands  resort  for 
supplies. 

As  the  Live  Oak,  from  the  peculiarities  of  its  construction, 
is  nmltiplied  with  difficulty,  I  cannot  but  consider  its  dis- 
appearance throughout  the  United  States  within  fifty  years  sis 
nearly  certain.  It  will  then  be  found  only  in  the  form  of  a 
shrub,  like  the  Quercxis  ilex,  which  formerly  skirted  the  southern 
coast  of  France  and  Italy. 


ia,  with  the 
)\ver  timbers 
1  of  th'^  best 
eady  quoted, 
at  present  it 
Liid  the  heart 

avannah,  this 

vy  wheels,  for 

more  pro^Dcr, 

y  accidentally 

Sngland,  great 
,ed  States,  par- 
ind  Baltimore, 
ears,  in  conse- 
can  commerce, 
ipidly  diminish- 
3f  cotton,  which 
d  greatly  to  its 
icks  of  consider- 
}  sought  on  the 
lary  and  the  St. 
species  is  rarer; 
shores  of  West 
slands  resort  for 

its  construction, 
consider  its  dis- 
hin  fifty  years  us 
in  the  form  of  a 
irted  the  southern 


M 


•It 


h 


111  III 


!  i'l 


l:lM| 


vii;i 


/'/, 


/'/  /,; 


(!,jhi. 


:i! 


b. 


!  ,     il 


'li 


''<! 


Ji;:t 


m 


CORK    OAK. 


65 


[Every  individual  that  has  access  to  Government  authorities 
in  successive  administrations  should  urge  the  planting  of  this 
most  valuable  tree.  Since  our  author  penned  the  above  re- 
marks, great  havoc  has  been  committed  on  our  Southern  coast 
for  want  of  Government  protection.  The  tree  is  produced  in 
Texas,  but  from  there  also  its  disappearance  may  be  deemed 
almost  certain.] 

PLATE  XII. 

A  branch  with  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 

[See  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  i.  pp.  28,  29.] 


■  .V 


CORK  OAK. 

QuERCUS  SUBER.     Q.  folUs  ovato-oUomjis,  indicisis,  serratis,  subtus  glands; 

cortice  rimoso,  funcjoso. 

The  Cork  Oak  grows  naturally  in  the  southern  parts  of 
France,  in  Spain,  Portugal,  Italy,  and  the  States  of  Barbary, 
which  are  comprised  between  the  44th  and  35th  degrees  of  lati- 
tude. It  rarely  exceeds  forty  feet  in  height  and  three  feet  in 
diameter.  Its  leaves  are  evergreen,  but  the  greater  part  of 
them  fall  and  are  renewed  in  the  spring;  they  are  ovate,  thick, 
Blightly  toothed,  of  a  light  green  on  the  upper  surface  and 
glaucous  beneath.  The  acorns  are  rather  large,  oval,  and  half 
.enclosed  in  a  conical  cup,  and,  being  of  a  sweetish  taste,  are 
eagerly  devoured  by  swine. 

The  wood  is  hard,  compact,  and  heavy,  but  less  durable  than 
ihat  of  the  Connuon  Jluropean  Oak,  particularly  when  exposed 
to  humidity.     The  worth  of  the  tree  resides  in  its  bark,  which 


'<    jl'IIMI 


3     1 


;;!  nl 


■::■)' 


i   : 


I'  I 


:ii 


j 


Sits 


56 


CORK    OAK. 


begins  to  be  taken  off'  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years.  The  first 
growth  is  of  little  value;  in  ten  years  it  is  renewed;  but  the 
second  product,  though  less  cracked  than  the  first,  is  not  thick 
enough  for  corks,  and  is  used  only  by  fishermen  to  buoy  up  their 
nets.  It  is  not  till  the  tree  is  forty-five  or  Mty  years  old  that 
the  bark  possesses  all  the  qualities  requisite  for  good  corks,  and 
from  that  period  it  is  collected  once  in  eight  or  ten  years.  Its 
thickness  is  owing  to  the  extraordinary  swelling  of  the  cellular 
tissue.  It  is  better  fitted  than  any  other  substance  for  the  use 
to  Avhich  it  is  appropriated,  as  its  elasticity  exactly  adapts  it  to 
the  neck  of  the  bottle  and  its  impenetrable  structure  refuses  exit 
to  the  fluid. 

July  and  August  are  the  seasons  for  gathering  it.  For  this 
purpose  two  opposite  longitudinal  incisions  are  made  through  the 
whole  length  of  the  trunk,  and  two  others,  transverse  to  the 
first,  at  the  extremities;  the  bark  is  then  detached  by  inserting 
a  hatchet-handle  shaped  like  a  wedge.  Great  care  must  be 
taken  not  to  wound  the  alburnum,  as  the  bai'k  is  never  renewed 
upon  the  injured  parts.  After  being  scraped,  the  bark  is  heated 
on  its  convex  side  and  laden  with  stones,  to  flatten  it  and  render 
it  easier  of  transportation.  In  Catalonia  it  is  cut  into  pieces 
and  boiled  to  improve  its  quality.  Its  excellence  consists  in 
being  compact,  supple,  and  elastic,  and  it  should  be  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  lines  thick. 

The  cork  produced  in  France  may  be  reckoned  at  17,000  or 
IS, 000  quintals,  and  when  the  sheets  are  smooth  and  even  each 
(juintal  affords  7000  or  7500  corks  eighteen  lines  long.  Tiic 
connnon  price  ia  a  dollar  and  seventy  cents  a  thousand,  of  wiiicli 
fifty  cents  nuist  be  allowed  for  the  expense  of  nuiking.  It  i(< 
computed  that  110  or  115  millions  of  corks  are  annually  con- 
sumed in  France. 

This  tree  would  be  an  inqwrtant  acquisition  to  the  United 
States,  and  would  grow  wherever  the  Live  Oak  subsists.  Tlii' 
soil  of  the  pine-barrens  is  in  general  too  meagre  to  sustain  its 


CORK     OAK. 


57 


1.     The  first 
2d;   but  the 
is  not  thick 
uoy  up  their 
lars  old  that 
>d  corks,  and 
n  years.     Itt< 
'  the  cellular 
je  for  the  use 
y  adapts  it  to 
•e  refuses  exit 

it.  For  this 
le  through  the 
laverse  to  the 
d  by  inserting 

care  must  be 
never  renewed 

hark  is  heated 
11  it  and  render 
cut  into  pieces 
lice  consists  in 

he  from  fifteen 

led  at  17,000  or 
1  and  even  each 
lies  long,  'fl"^' 
usand,  of  wlii»li 
making.  It  i^ 
-e  annually  con- 

n  to  the  United 
c  Kubsi.sts.  Tlif 
:re  to  sustain  it" 


vegetation;  the  bed  of  vegetable  mould  is  in  many  places 
too  thin,  and  the  sand  beneath  so  homogeneous  that  the  roots 
of  the  Pines,  instead  of  shooting  downward,  fold  themselves 
back,  as  if  repelled  by  a  solid  rock. 

Both  public  and  private  interest  require  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Soutliern  coast,  and  especially  the  neighboring  islands,  to 
rear  the  Cork  Oak  about  their  plantations  and  in  places  that  are 
unfit  for  the  cultivation  of  cotton.  It  should  also  be  introduced 
into  West  Tennessee,  anu  with  the  more  reason  as  the  Vine  may 
be  cultivated  there  with  success. 

As  the  young  stocks  are  injured  by  transplanting,  they  should 
be  permanently  fixed  the  second  or  third  year.  To  favor  their 
growth,  the  earth  should  be  loosed  about  the  roots  two  or  three 
times  a  year;  and,  to  render  them  tall  and  well  shaped,  the 
lower  branches  should  be  cut  even  with  the  trunk.  Their 
vegetation  is  in  this  manner  strengthened  and  the  bark  im- 
proved; without  further  attention  they  will  continue  to  afford  u 
valuable  product  during  two  or  three  centuries. 

Tliis  tree  has  great  advantages  over  several  others  which 
would  likewise  flourish  in  the  same  parts  of  the  United  States, 
sueli  as  the  Olive  and  the  White  Mulberry.  To  fit  their  pro- 
ducts for  consumption,  particularly  that  of  the  Mulberry,  requires 
complicated  processes,  which  can  be  performed  with  advantage 
only  in  populous  countries.  Hence  the  attempts  made  seventy 
or  eiglity  years  ago  in  Georgia  to  introduce  the  rearing  of  silk- 
worms proved  abortive;  and  tl»e  old  White  Mulberry-trees  that 
still  remain  are  monuments  of  that  ill-calculated  speculation. 
The  bark  of  the  Cork  Oak,  on  the  contrary,  might  be  trans- 
ported to  the  Northern  States,  or  made  into  corks  upon  the  spot 
by  a  simple  oi)eration  performed  by  a  single  person  with  imple- 
ments of  which  the  price  does  not  exceed  two  or  three  dollars. 

[It  gives  us  pleasure  to  record  iiere  that  the  acorn  of  the  Cork 
Oak  ha.s  been  introduced  into  the  Southern  States  by  Iniporta- 


!M 


58 


WILLOW    OAK. 


tions  made  at  the  Patent-Office.  This  first  effort  should  be  fol- 
lowed by  others,  till  we  are  independent  of  foreign  countries 
for  an  article  of  prime  importance.] 


PLATE  XIIL 

A  branch  vith  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 


^ii. 


ill 


;i  ii 


•.iV 


!  I 


WILLOW   OAK. 

QuKRcrs  PiiELLOS.  Q.  full  is  linear  i-lanccolatis,  integerrimis,  ylabris,  apiec 
setaceo-acuminatis,Junioribus  dcntatis  lobaiisce;  fiqndd  scatellatd ;  glandc 
subrotundd,  minimd. 

This  species,  which  is  remarkable  for  its  foliage,  makes  its 
first  appearance  in  the  environs  of  Philadelphia;  but  it  is  more 
common  and  of  a  larger  size  in  Virginia,  the  Carolinas,  and 
Georgia,  where  the  milder  temperature  of  the  winter  is  evi- 
dently favorable  to  its  growth.  It  is  seen,  however,  only  in  the 
maritime  parts  of  those  States,  and  is  a  stranger  to  the  inland 
districts,  where  the  surface  is  mountainous  and  the  climate 
more  severe.  From  the  analogy  of  soil  and  climate,  it  is 
proliably  found  in  Lower  Louisiana;  but  I  have  never  observed 
it  beyond  the  Alleghanies  in  Kentucky  and  Teinicssee. 

The  Willow  Oak  commonly  grows  in  cool  moist  places,  and. 
with  the  Tupelo,  the  Small  Magnolia,  the  Red-flowering  Maj)lc. 
the  Red  Bay,  and  the  Water  Oiik,  it  borders  the  swiynps  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  Southei'n  States.  In  these  situations  it  attains 
its  greatest  expansion,  which  is  fifty  or  si.xty  feet  in  height  nnd 
from  twenty  to  twenty-four  inches  in  diameter.  Tlie  trunk, 
even   at  an   advanced  age,  is  covered  with  a  smooth   bark,  ro- 


ould  be  fol- 
n  countries 


is,  glahris,  apice 
mtdlald;  rjlcmdc. 


ige,  makes  its 
but  it  is  uioro 
Caroliuas,  and 
winter  is  evi- 
er,  only  in  tlio 
to  the  inland 
(1  the   climato 
climate,  it  it* 
never  observed 
iicssee. 

list  places,  and, 
owering  Maple 
■  swiynps  ill  tlio 
aticms  it  attains 
>t  in  height  and 
r.  The  tnmk, 
;iii()()th  harl<.  re- 


■<■  -  1,- 


V 


!    .   !l 


m 


ij     i 


V      1 

I  : 


:ii 


:i  II 


lii:! 


i   ■    I 


WILLOW     OAK. 


59 


inarkable  for  the  thickness  of  its  celluUir  tissue.  The  leaves 
are  two  or  three  inches  long,  of  a  light  green,  smooth,  narrow, 
entire,  and  similar  to  those  of  the  Willow,  whence  is  derived 
the  name  of  Willow  Oak,  which  is  used  in  every  part  of  North 
America  where  the  tree  is  known. 

Though  the  Willow  Oak,  as  I  have  just  observed,  is  almost 
always  seen  in  moist  grounds,  by  an  exception  for  which  it  is 
difficult  to  account  it  is  sometimes  found  among  the  Live  Oaks, 
near  the  sea,  in  the  dryest  and  most  sandy  soils.  At  a  distance 
it  resembles  the  Live  Oak  in  its  shape  and  in  its  foliage,  w'hich 
persists  during  several  years;  but  on  a  closer  examination  it  is 
easily  distinguished  by  the  form  of  its  leaves,  which  are  shorter 
and  much  narrower,  and  by  the  porous  texture  of  its  wood. 
\  The  fruit  of  this  species  is  rarely  abundant;  the  acorns  are  of 
a  dark  brown  color,  small,  round,  very  bitter,  and  contained  in 
shallow  cups  lightly  coated  with  scales;  kept  in  a  cool  place 
they  preserve  the  faculty  of  germination  for  several  months. 

The  wood  is  reddish  and  coarse-grained.  It  is  too  porous  to 
contain  wine  or  spirituous  liquor,  and  its  staves  are  classed  with 
those  of  Red  Oak.  The  quantity,  however,  is  small,  as  the 
tree  is  so  little  multiplied  that  alone  it  would  not  supply  the 
consumption  for  two  years.  Li  some  of  the  lower  parts  of  Vir- 
ginia, particularly  in  the  county  of  York,  it  is  found  to  possess 
great  strength  and  tenacity  and  to  split  less  easily  than  the 
White  Oak;  hence,  after  being  thoroughly  seasoned,  it  is  em- 
ployed for  the  felloes  of  wheels.  These  are  the  only  uses  to 
which  it  seems  adapted,  and  for  these  it  is  less  proper  than  the 
Post  Oak  and  AVhite  Ash.  On  several  plantations  near  Augusta, 
in  Georgia,  the  fences  are  made  partly  of  Willow  Oak,  which  lasts 
only  eight  or  nine  years.     As  fuel,  it  is  sold  at  the  lowest  price 

PLATE  XIV. 

A  branch  with  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 
[See  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  i.  p.  20.] 


'^Il"fff1 


lilliiii 


lit 


1i 


\\\ 


■■Ml 

i; 


'    1': 


!i^i' 


jiii' 


i^iii 


it; 


LAUREL   OAK. 

QuERCus  IMKRICAJUA.     Q.  folUs  siihscssUibus,  ofali-oblo)}()is,  acutis,  inte- 
fjcrrimis,  nitidis  ;  glande  subhcmisphxricd. 

East  of  the  Alloglianios  this  species  is  rare,  and  has  received 
no  specific  name ;  west  of  the  mountains,  where  it  is  more  mul- 
tiplied and  has  attracted  more  attention,  it  is  called  Jack  Oak, 
Black  Jack  Oak,  and  sometimes,  from  the  form  of  its  leaves, 
Laurel  Oak.  The  last  denomination  I  have  preserved  as  the 
most  appropriate,  though  perhaps  it  is  less  common  than  the 
first. 

I  observed  this  tree  for  the  first  time  in  Pennsylvania,  near 
Bedford,  on  fho  Juniata,  upon  the  road  from  Philadelphia  to 
Pittsburg;  and  it  does  not  exist  in  the  more  northern  States.  I 
found  it  abundant  only  beyond  the  mountains,  and  particularly 
near  Washington  Court-house,  and  in  some  parts  of  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee.  From  my  father's  observations,  it  appears  to  bo 
more  multiplied  in  the  country  of  the  Illinois  than  in  the  places 
T  have  just  mentioned,  and  it  is  called  by  the  French  Cheuc  a 
lattes, — Lath  Oak. 

In  the  western  parts  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  small 
lawns,  covered  only  with  tall  grass,  are  frequently  seen  in  the 
forests,  around  which  the  Laurel  Oak  forms  entire  groves;  insu- 
lated stocks  are  also  found  in  cool,  humid  situations.  It  is  pro- 
bable, from  its  flourishing  in  open  exposures,  that  it  is  most 
abundant  in  the  country  of  the  Illinois,  which  consists  of  im- 
measurable savannas  stretching  in  every  direction,  to  which  the 
tbrests  bear  no  sensible  proportion. 

The  Laurel  Oak  is  fortjwor  fifty  feet  high  and  twelve  or  fifteen 

inches  in  diameter.      Its  trunk,  even  when  old,  is  clad  in  a 

smooth  bark,  and  for  three-fourths  of  its  height  is  laden  with 

branches.     It  has  an  uncouth  form  when  bared  in  the  winter, 
GO 


lis,  aciitis,  inte- 

I  has  received 
t  is  more  mul- 
led Jack  Oak, 
of  its  leaves, 
!served  as  the 
mon  than  the 

isylvania,  near 
:'hihadelphia  to 
liern  States.  I 
nd  particularly 
;s  of  Kentucky 
it  appears  to  be 
m  in  the  places 
French  Cheiic  a 

Virginia,  small 
itly  seen  in  the 
re  groves;  insu- 
ions.     It  is  pvo- 

that  it  is  mo.^ 
1  consists  of  im- 
on,  to  which  the 

twelve  or  fifteen 
oU,  is  clad  in  a 
;ht  is  laden  with 
ed  in  the  winter, 


Tf 


i 


Lnurol  (h\k 

(hull  1 1. '•  iiiti>i  .\  ,,■,  ■ 


!•'.  " 


i'li 


li'pil 


1; 


M    ! 
ill  !■ 


i:li: 


ii 


UPLAND    WILLOW    OAK. 


61 


■1 
I. 


but  is  beautiful  in  the  summer  when  chad  in  its  thick,  tufted 
fohage.  The  leaves  are  long,  lanceolate,  entire,  and  of  a  light, 
shining  green. 

The  wood  is  hard  and  heavy,  though  its  pores  are  open.  As 
the  trunk  is  branchy  and  often  crooked,  it  is  considered, 
wherever  I  have  observed  it,  as  fit  only  for  fuel;  but  my  father, 
who  first  described  it,  says  that  the  French  of  Illinois  use  it  for 
shingles.  Probably  in  that  region  it  attains  much  greater  dimen- 
sions; but  in  my  opinion  the  want  of  better  species  only  can 
account  for  its  use.  Its  wood  is  inferior  to  that  of  the  Willow 
Oak,  which  it  nearly  resembles. 

This  tree  has  no  merit  but  its  singular  foliage;  and  it  deserves 
the  attention  only  of  amateurs  desirous  of  adorning  their  rural 
retreats  with  a  variety  of  exotic  trees. 

PLATE   XV. 

A  branch  with  leaces  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 


UPLAND   WILLOW  OAK. 

Qu  Hcus  ciNEREA.  (^.  J'oliis  pctiolutis,  (fti)<rolalo-oL'l()n(/lf^,  ncutis,  inlegerri- 
mis,  suhttia  ciiicrco-pubcsccntibus ;  cupula  scutdlutd ;  glande  subhcmi- 
sj}ha:rica. 

The  Upland  Willow  OsiU  is  confuied  to  the  maritime  parts  of 
the  Southern  States.  It  is  little  multiplied  in  comparison  with 
niiiny  other  species,  and  is  dispersed  in  suuiU  groups  in  the 
forests  of  White  Pine.  It  is  found  also  upon  the  sea-shore,  and 
\\\nm  the  islands,  where  it  covers  tracts  oi'  several  acres  still 
more  barren  than  tlie  main.     IJut   the  stocks  which  grow  in 


Ii|i  :■ 


I'il'i 


i  ! 


:  M  ■; 


|l  ! 


62 


UPLAND    WILLOW     OAK. 


these  difieroiit  situations  arc  so  diffiu'ent  in  appearance  that  they 
might  easily  be  mistaken  for  distinct  species:  in  iXxa puie-harrens 
they  are  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  high  and  iour  or  five  inches  in 
diametei',  with  the  leaves  entire,  two  and  a  half  inches  long, 
and  whitish  underneath;  on  the  islands  and  on  the  shore  of  the 
continent,  whei-e  the  soil  is  extremely  dry,  as  near  Wilmington, 
N.C.,  they  are  only  three  or  four  feet  in  height,  and  the  leaves 
are  denticulated,  are  an  inch  in  length,  and  persist  for  two  years, 
I  have  ascertained  that  both  varieties  belong  to  the  same  species, 
by  examining  the  sprouts  of  the  hii'ger  stocks  in  the  pine-harrenK, 
of  which  the  foliage  is  perfectly  similar  to  that  of  the  smaller 
ones  on  the  shore. 

The  Upland  Willow  Oak  is  one  of  the  abject  trees  that  suc- 
ceed the  Pines  on  lands  which  have  jjeen  cleared  for  cultivation 
and  abandoned  on  account  of  their  sterility.  In  these  places, 
as  in  \\iQ  itine-harrcns,  it  is  twenty  feet  in  stature,  and  its  trunk, 
crooked  and  covered  with  a  thick  bark,  begins  at  a  third  of  tliis 
height  to  divide  by  numerous  ramifications.  In  the  spring  it  is 
distinguished  at  a  distance  by  the  reddish  color  of  its  leaves  and 
male  aments.  The  acorns,  which  are  contained  in  shallow  cups, 
are  round  and  blackish,  with  the  base  of  a  bright  rose-color 
when  freshly  exijosed.  It  is  rare  to  meet  with  a  tree  which 
yields  a  quart  of  fruit. 

The  bark  of  this  species,  like  that  of  the  Black  Oak,  affords 
a  beautiful  yellow  dye;  but  the  tree  is  so  small  and  so  little 
multiplied  that  it  is  of  no  utility  in  this  respect,  nor  even  for 
fuel. 

The  Qucrcns  nana  of  Willdenow  is  certainly  the  smaller 
variety  of  this  species. 

I'LATE  XVI. 


A  branch  with  haves  and  fruit  of  the  mitnral  sizr.     Fi(j.  1.  A  leaf  of  the 
smaller  raricty  of  llic  natural  size. 


whioli 


Mmallor 


I  '' 


I;  II  i  III  I 


'■  I 


i 


//.'/',./ 


Iliiniiiiio-  Oak 

(Jilt  f'i  NX  tiiuni/ti . 


W«?5W«*»?M!-»^*. 


/'/., 


.i  ! 


t   il 


pil 

0 


m 


RUNNING   OAK. 


^iUEHCus  PUMiiiA.     Q.  foliis  dcciduis,  kinceolatis,  intec/errimis,  basi  atlenv, 
ads,  apice  dilatatis ;  cupula  scutdlatd ;  glande  subhem'tsplmricci. 

Quercus  sorieea.     Willd. 

This  species,  wliich  is  rarely  more  than  twenty  inches  in 
height  and  two  lines  in  diameter,  is  the  smallest  Oak  hitherto 
discovex'ed  in  the  Old  or  the  New  World.  Like  the  Upland 
Willow  Oak,  it  is  confined  to  the  maritime  parts  of  the  Carolinas, 
Georgia,  and  the  Floridas,  where  it  is  called  Running  Oak.  It 
springs  with  that  species  in  the  inne-harrens,  amid  the  numerous 
varieties  of  Whortleberry  and  other  plants  which  overspread  the 
ground  wherever  there  is  a  little  moisture  in  the  soil  and  the 
layer  of  vegetable  mould  is  a  few  inches  thick. 

The  leaves  of  this  dwarfish  shrub  are  of  a  reddish  tint  in  the 
spring  and  turn  green  as  the  season  advances.  When  fully 
developed  they  are  entire,  smooth,  of  an  elongated  oval  shape, 
and  about  two  inches  in  length.  The  acorns  are  small,  round, 
and  similar  to  those  of  tiie  Willow  and  Water  Oaks;  ih^y  are 
few  in  number,  because  the  stem  is  burned  to  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  almost  every  spring,  by  the  fire  which  is  kindled  in  the 
forests  to  consume  the  dead  grass.  As  this  species  belongs  to 
the  division  whose  fructification  is  biennial,  the  acorns  are 
destroyed  before  they  arrive  at  maturity. 

My  own  observations,  and  those  of  Messi's.  Bosc  and  Delille, 
distinguished  botanists  who  resided  several  years  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  United  States,  have  led  me  to  consider  the  Running 
Oak  as  a  distinct  species,  and  not  as  a  variety  of  the  Willow 
Oak,  as  my  father  has  treated  it  in  his  Monoijniphy  of  this  im- 
portant genus.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  remark  that  from  its 
size  it  can  be  interesting  only  to  lx)tanistvS. 


I  M 


I  i;|i 


N 


ml  ■'  •: 


i   I! 


I 


IJi  ^1 


!M 


ii 


II 


>  R  ! 


II 


04 


BARTRAM     OAK. 


[In  situations  where  it  is  not  liable  to  being  burned,  as  de- 
scribed above,  this  plant  is  very  lorolific  of  acorns;  and  it  has 
been  suggested  that  it  might  be  cultivated  for  its  fruit.  It 
sometimes  covers  tracts  of  more  than  100  acres  in  extent,  along 
with  the  Bear  Oak.  It  is  well  worthy  of  cultivation  in  small 
villa  gardens  or  miniature  arboretums.] 

PLATE  XVII. 

A  branch  with  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 


BARTRAM   OAK. 

Qdercus   iieteropiiylla.       Q.   fuliis  lony^  pdlolatis,   orato-lanccolatis, 
intcgris  vel  ina^qualitcr  dcntatis  ;  glande,  suhglohosd. 

Every  botanist  who  has  visited  different  regions  of  the  globe 
must  have  remarked  certain  species  of  vegetables  which  are  so 
little  multiplied  that  they  seem  likely  at  no  distant  period  to 
disappear  from  the  earth.  To  this  class  belongs  the  Bartram 
Oak.  Several  English  and  American  naturalists  who,  like  my 
father  and  myself,  have  spent  years  in  exploring  the  United 
States,  and  who  have  obligingly  communicated  to  us  the  result 
of  their  observations,  have,  like  us,  found  no  traces  of  this 
species  except  a  single  stock  in  a  field  belonging  to  Mr.  Bartram, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  four  miles  from  Philadelphia. 
This  is  a  nourishing  tree,  thirty  feet  in  height  and  eight  inches 
in  diameter,  and  seems  formed  to  attain  a  much  greater  develop- 
mc'it.  Its  leaves  are  of  an  elongated  oval  form,  coarsely  and 
irregularly  toothed,  smooth  above,  and  beneath  of  a  dark  green. 


I     I 


I 


r 


li 


'1 


!!        I 


1  I 


ill  i 


1;  i; 

HIIII    i  '! 

IB     I'-  :■ 

i    1.  ] 


il   ill 


(  '//,7  .  //.'     ./,('./■« 


ri.iu 


y/- 


ill; 


ill!! 


i:   ' 


I 


CU] 

La 
lea 
exi 


hill 
pre! 


that 
cord 
tram 


yuKi 

sill 
sill 


w  .  ■-  1 


'i  1 


Rich 

SOllt 

Geoi 
i»  s(i 
alwu 


WATER     OAK. 


65 


The  acorns  are  round,  of  a  middle  size,  and  contained  in  shallow 
cups  lightly  covered  with  scales. 

I  was  at  first  disposed  to  consider  this  tree  as  a  variety  of  the 
Laurel  Oak,  to  which  it  bears  the  greatest  affinity;  but  the 
leaves  of  that  species  are  never  indented,  and  not  a  stock  of  it 
exists  within  a  hundred  miles  of  Philadelphia. 

Several  young  plants,  which  I  received  from  Mr.  Bartrara 
himself,  have  been  placed  in  our  public  gardens  to  insure  the 
preservation  of  the  species. 

PLATE  XVIII. 

A  branch  with  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 

[See  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  i.  p.  24,  by  which  it  appears 
that  this  tree  has  been  discovered  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Ac- 
cording to  Meehan's  Hand-Book  of  Trees,  the  specimen  at  Bar- 
tram's  Garden  is  seventy  feet  high  and  six  feet  in  circumference.] 


WATER   OAK. 

yuERCUS  AQUATiCA.  Q.  foliis  ohomli-cuneatis,  basi  acutis,  siimmitate 
suhinteffris,  raritve  trilobis,  (jlabris ;  cupuld  modice  crateratS, ;  glande 
suhglobosd. 

This  species  first  attracted  my  attention  in  the  forests  near 

Richmond  in  Virginia;  it  becomes  more  common  in  proceeding 

southward,  and  abounds  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  Cnrolinas  and 

Georgia  and  in  East  Florida.     Under  the  name  of  Water  Oak  it 

is  sometimes  confounded  with  the  Willow  Oak,  by  which  it  is 

always  accompanied  in  the  ponds  and  narrow  swamps  enclosed 
Vol,,  i.-r. 


i 


I 


r;i 


'I  '■    ■: 


66 


WATER    OAK. 


in  the  jnne-harrcns.  It  is  inferior  in  size  to  the  Willow  Oak, 
and  rarely  exceeds  forty  or  forty-five  feet  in  height  and  twelve 
or  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  On  full-grown  trees  the  leaves 
are  smooth,  shining,  and  pyriform, — or  broad  and  rounded  at 
the  summit  and  terminated  in  an  acute  angle  at  the  base.  In 
the  severe  climate  of  Virginia  they  fall  with  the  first  frost ;  but 
on  the  sea-shore  of  the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  and  Florida,  they 
persist  during  two  or  three  years.  There  is  no  Oak  in  the 
United  States  of  which  the  foliage  is  so  variable  and  so  different 
from  that  of  the  tree  on  the  young  stocks,  and  on  the  sprouts 
from  an  old  trunk  or  from  the  base  of  a  limb  that  has  been 
lopped:  the  leaves  are  commonly  oval  and  deeply  and  irregu- 
larly toothed. 

The  acorns,  which  are  contained  in  shallow,  slightly-scaly 
cups,  are  brown,  small,  and  extremely  bitter:  the  largest  tree 
rarely  yields  more  than  five  or  six  quarts.  Like  those  of  the 
Willow  Oak,  when  kept  cool  they  preserve  their  fecundity  for 
several  months. 

The  bark  upon  the  oldest  trunks  is  smooth  and  very  slightly 
furrowed;  it  is  little  used  in  tanning,  either  because  it  is  infei'ior 
to  that  of  the  Spanish  Oak  or  because  the  tree  is  less  abundant. 

The  wood  is  very  tough,  but  less  durable  and  loss  esteemed  by 
carpenters  and  wheelwrights  than  that  of  the  White  Oak  and 
Chestnut  White  Oak. 

As  this  species  is  destitute  of  interest,  it  will  probably  become 
extinct,  like  many  others  which  are  rapidly  diminishing.  lu 
France  it  would  flourish  only  in  the  southern  departments. 

PLATE  XIX 

A  branch  with  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 
[See  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  i.  p.  33.] 


/v„, 


I'.I.M-U  Jiuk  Oak 

Odi  I ,  II.'   /ill  i/,;i/ii  /I 


mm 


i;   tl 


I  ri 


BLACK  JACK  OAK. 


QuERCUS  FERUUGiNEA.  Q.  folOs  covioceis,  summitate  dilatatis,  retuso-sub- 
trilobis,  basi  rctusis,  subtus  rubiginoso-pulveruUntls ;  cupula  turblnatd, 
squamis  obtusis,  scariosis;  glandc  brcci  ovatd, 

Quercus  nigra.     Willd. 

I  OBSERVED  this  species  for  the  first  time  in  the  forests  near 
Allentown  and  Cranberry,  small  towns  of  New  Jersey,  about 
sixty  miles  east  of  Philadelphia;  but  it  is  smaller  and  less  mul- 
tiplied than  farther  south.  In  New  Jersey  and  Philadelphia  it 
is  called  Barren  Oak,  and  Black  Jack  Oak  ai  Maryland  and  the 
more  Southern  States.  .1  have  adopted  the  last  of  these  names 
only  because  it  is  the  most  generally  used,  and  have  changed 
the  specific  epithet  nigra,  because  the  name  of  the  Black  Oak  is 
appropriated  in  the  United  States  to  the  Qiiercm  tinctoria. 

This  species  is  commonly  found  upon  soils  composed  of  red 
argillaceous  sand  mingled  \vith  gravel,  and  so  meagre  as  to  be 
totally  exhausted  by  five  or  six  crops  when  they  are  thought 
worthy  of  cultivation.  Unhappily,  from  Baltimore  to  the  bor- 
ders of  North  Carolina — an  extent  of  four  or  five  hundred  miles 
— the  greater  part  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  consists  of  this 
soil.  The  whole  of  this  interval,  with  the  exception  of  the 
valleys  and  the  swamps  with  their  surrounding  acclivities,  is 
covered  with  forests  impoverished  by  fire  and  the  cattle  that 
subsist  in  them  during  a  great  part  of  the  year.  They  are  com- 
posed principally  of  Yellow  Pine,  Post  Oak,  Black  Oak,  and 
Scarlet  Oak.  In  the  Cai'olinas  and  Georgia,  where  th^  soil  grar 
dually  improves  in  retiring  from  the  shore  toward  the  moun- 
tains, the  same  trees  form  a  band  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  wide, 
between  the  pine-Jxirrens  and  the  forests  of  a  more  generous 
growth.     In  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  the  Black  Jack  Oak  is 

seen  only  in  the  savannas,  where   it  is  widely  diffused,  and 

07 


bn 


iif  w  r 


M  i  rf 


l:hl 


lil 


i'  ' ! 


1 1 
iliii 


Km 


68 


BLACK    JACK     OAK. 


where,  preserved  by  the  thickness  of  its  bark  and  its  insulated 
position,  it  survives  the  conflagrations  that  almost  every  year 
consume  the  grass:  the  fire,  driven  forward  by  the  wind,  has 
only  time  to  devour  its  foliage.  In  the  pinc-harrens  it  grows 
chiefly  on  the  edges  of  tiie  hranch-swamps,  where  the  soil  is  a 
little  stronger  than  is  necessary  for  the  Pines.  With  the 
Upland  Willow  Oak  and  the  Scrub  Oak,  it  possesses  itself  of 
the  pine-lands  that  have  been  cleared  for  cultivation  and  .aban- 
doned on  account  of  their  sterility ;  and  in  these  situations  it  is 
larger  than  in  the  forests. 

The  Black  Jack  Oak  is  sometimes  thirty  feet  high  and  eight 
or  ten  inches  in  diameter,  but  commonly  does  not  exceed  half 
these  dimensions.  Its  trunk  is  generally  crooked,  and  is  covered 
with  a  very  hard,  thick,  and  deeply-furrowed  bark,  of  which  the 
epidermis  is  neai'ly  black  and  the  cellular  tissue  of  a  dull  red. 
The  summit  is  spacious  even  in  the  midst  of  the  woods.  The 
leaves  are  yellowish,  and  somewhat  downy  at  their  unfolding  in 
the  spring;  when  fully  expanded  they  are  of  a  dark  green  above, 
rusty  beneath,  thick,  coriaceous,  and  dilated  toward  the  summit 
like  a  pe.ar.  In  the  autumn  they  turn  reddish  and  fall  with  the 
earliest  frost. 

The  oldest  trees  bear  only  a  few  handfuls  of  acorns,  which 
are  lar^e  and  half  covered  with  very  scaly  cups. 

When  the  stock  is  more  than  eight  inches  in  diameter  the 
wood  is  heavy  and  compact,  but  coarse-grained  and  porous 
before  it  has  reached  this  size.  As  it  speedily  decays  when 
exposed  to  the  weather,  it  is  not  used  in  the  arts.  It  forms 
excellent  fuel,  and  is  sold  at  Philadi'lphia  only  one  dollar  a  cord 
less  than  Hickory,  while  other  kinds  of  wood  are  a  third  cheaper. 

The  species  deserves  the  attention  of  amateurs  in  Europe  for 
the  singularity  of  its  foliage. 

PLATE  XX. 

A  hrmii'h  with  ktn-cs  <(ni/  fnilf  of  the  natural  size. 


lated 


year 
,  has 
Trows 
1  is  a 
1  the 
jlf  of 
aban- 
s  it  is 

eight 

I  half 
Dvered 
ch  the 

II  red. 
The 

ling  in 
above, 
ummit 
ith  the 

which 

tor  the 
porou.s 
3  when 
t  forms 
•  a  cord 
heaper. 
rone  for 


t 

.i 

li 

L 

1  ■ 
'   1 

1' 

ii  ' 

( 

;  M 

I  li 


ll..i/ir./..„r.-,/,/ 


Bciir's  O.'ik. 
{)nt'/rii,\  />a//f,\ /(■/'/ 


/;■ 


'i 


LI||   "m 


iii 


I !  I 


I  ■:( 


BEAR    OAK. 

QuERCUS  BAXiSTERi.  Q.  foliis  (o»fje  2'>ctiol(iti'.^,  acul<iugulo-i/uuit]Hc-ltihi.'i, 
margine  intcgris,  subius  cinercis;  cupula  suhturbinatd ;  glandc  sub- 
globosd. 

Tins  diminutive  species  is  known  in  the  Northern  and  Middle 
States  by  the  names  of  Bear  Oak,  Black  Scrub  Oak,  and  Dwari" 
Red  Oak,  of  which  the  first  is  the  most  common  in  New  Jersey, 
where  the  shrub  abounds.  The  Latin  specific  name  was  given 
it  in  honor  of  Banister,  an  English  writer,  hy  whom  it  was  first 
introduced  to  notice. 

I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  the  Bear  Oak  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  Southern  States ;  it  is  commcm  in  those  (.f  the  North, 
and  still  more  so,  I  believe,  in  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and 
Pennsylvania.  I  have  more  particularly  ob.served  it  at  Fishkill, 
Catskill,  and  Albany  in  New  York,  near  Paramus  in  New  Jer- 
sey, and  on  that  part  of  the  Alleghanies  in  Pennsylvania  which 
is  crossed  by  the  road  to  Pittsburg.  It  is  never  found  insulated 
nor  mingled  with  other  shrubs  in  the  forests,  but  alwnys  in 
tracts  of  several  hundred  acres,  which  it  covers  almost  exclu- 
sively: a  few  stocks  of  the  Dwarf  Chestnut  Oak  are  often 
united  with  it. 

The  ordinary  height  of  the  Bear  Oak  is  three  or  four  feet; 
1)ut,  when  accidentally  insulated  \m(\  nourished  by  a  vein  of 
more  fertile  soil,  it  sometimes  ecpials  eight  or  ten  feet.  It  usu- 
ally grows  in  compact  nuisses,  which  are  traversed  with  (lilli- 
culty,  tliough  no  higher  thim  the  waist.  As  the  individuals 
which  compose  them  nre  of  a  uniform  height,  they  form  so  even 
a  surface  that  at  a  distance  the  ground  appears  to  be  covered 
with  grass  instead  of  shrubs. 

Tlie  trunk,  which  is  numerously  ramified,  is  covered,  like  the 

branches,  with  a  polished  bark.     It   lias  more  strength   than 

(ift 


m\\ 


if 


ym 


WT" 


'  W 


!r 


If 


ill 


llilll  :| 


!^:! 


'i  i  <  '  I 


m 


il  '■ 


70 


BEAR    OAK. 


would  be  supposed  from  its  size,  which  is  rarely  more  than  an 
inch  in  diameter.  The  leaves  are  of  a  dark  green  on  the  upper 
surfiice,  whitish  beneath,  and  regularl;;  divided  into  three  or 
five  lobes.  The  acorns  are  small,  blackish,  and  longitudinally 
marked  with  a  feAV  reddish  lines :  they  are  so  abundant  as  some- 
times to  cover  the  branches.  The  lowly  stature  of  the  shrub 
renders  it  easy  for  bears,  deer,  and  swine  to  reach  them  by  lift- 
ing their  heads  or  rising  on  their  hindfeet. 

The  presence  of  this  Oak  is  considered  as  an  infallible  index 
of  a  barren  soil;  and  it  is  usually  found  on  dry,  sandy  land 
mingled  with  gravel.  It  is  too  small  to  be  adapted  to  any  use; 
but  near  Goshen,  on  the  road  to  New  York,  I  observed  an 
attempt  to  turn  it  to  advantage  by  planting  it  about  the  fields 
for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  the  fences.  Though  this  ex- 
perinu'nt  seemed  to  have  failed,  I  believe  the  Bear  Oak  might 
be  usefully  adopted  in  the  Northern  States  for  hedges,  which 
might  l)e  formed  from  twenty  to  twenty-four  inches  thick,  by 
sowing  the  acorns  in  three  parallel  furrows.  They  would  be 
perfected  in  a  short  time,  would  be  agreeal)le  to  the  eye,  and 
probal)ly  would  be  sufficient  to  prevent  the  passage  of  horses 
and  cows.  Hedges  of  the  European  thorn  would  doubtless  be 
]>reft'rabU';  but  they  recjuire  a  good  soil  and  more  labor  than 
can  at  {)resent  be  aflbrded  in  America:  those  that  exist  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Philadelphia  are  left  in  a  condition  which 
wt)uld  give  a  very  unfavorable  o[)inion  of  the  farmer  on  whose 
lands  they  were  seen  in  the  North  of  France. 

As  the  Bear  Oak  grows  on  the  most  sterile  soils  and  resists 
Mje  most  intense  cold  and  impi'tuous  winds,  perhnps  it  might 
herve  to  shelter  the  infiincy  of  other  more  valuable  trei's  in  such 
exposures.  The  want  of  some  ])rotection  is  the  greatest  ol)- 
fitacle  to  the  success  of  phmtations  on  tlie  downs,  as  I  was  told, 
near  the  Hague  upon  the  coast  of  llulbind. 

Proprietors  of  large  estates,  who  are  addicted  to  the  chase, 
might  (ind  this  species  and  the  Dwiirf  Chestnut  Oak  convenient 


an 

per 

or 

illy 

me- 
rub 
liftr 

dex 
land 
use ; 
I  an 
ields 
i  ex- 
light 
rhich 

'^,  by 
[d  be 
,  and 
orses 
Hs  be 
than 
u  the 
kvhicli 
ivhose 


'esists 
might 
1  such 
t  ol>- 
told, 


i'haso, 
•nient 


'I 


.  I  i 


I 


i  f¥  I 


,i  I 


l':l 


/Cy.»/.-  .M 


U.'llTCMis  S(  I  (ill  ( );il\ 


/'/;/■.' 


W 


L 


) 


II  !  ''  ill 


pe 


BARRENS     SCRUB     OAK. 


71 


for  copses :  they  would  afford  nourishment  to  the  game  during 
several  months  in  the  year,  and  would  allow  the  sportsman  a 
ftiir  aim  at  the  birds  as  they  rose  upon  the  wing. 

PLATE  XXI. 

A  branch  icHh  leaves  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 


BARRENS    SCRUB    OAK. 

QuERCUS  CATESBiEi.  Q.  folUs  brcvissim^  petiolatis,  basi  anf/mtaiis,  aciitis, 
subpalmato  lobaiis,  lobis  intcrdum  subfalcatis ;  eujndd  majusuld;  sqita- 
viis  marginalibus  introjlcxis;  ghindc  bred  ocatd. 

According  to  my  own  observations,  this  species  is  confined  to 
the  lower  part  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia.  I  first  saw  it 
a  few  miles  south  of  Raleigh,  N.C.,  latitude  35°  40'.  It  grows 
in  soils  too  meagre  to  sustain  any  other  vegetation,  such  as  the 
vicinity  of  Wilmington,  N.C.,  where  the  light  movable  sand  is 
wholly  destitute  of  vegetable  mould.  It  is  the  only  species 
multiplied  in  the  pine-barrens,  and  from  this  circumstance  it 
seems  to  have  derived  its  name. 

In  traversing  these  forests,  I  nowhere  saw  the  Scrub  Oak  more 
uniformly  disseminated  than  between  Fayetteville  and  Wil- 
mington, an  interval  of  sixty  miles,  where  it  forms  nearly  one- 
tenth  of  the  woods :  the  Pines  themselves,  throughout  the  bar- 
rens, are  scattered  at  the  distance  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet. 

The  foliage  of  this  tree  is  open,  and  its  leaves  are  large, 
smooth,  thick,  and  coriaceous  toward  the  clo.se  of  summer, 
deeply  and  irregularly  laciniated,  and  supported  by  short 
petioles.     With  tue  first  frost  they  change  to  a  dull  red,  and  fall 


I 


i 


;  '1 


1 1  '  - 

I'" 


11 


72  BARRENS     SCRUB     OAK. 

the  ensuing  month.  The  acorns  are  pretty  large,  of  a  bUickish 
color,  and  partly  covered  with  a  fine  gray  dust,  which  is  easily 
rubbed  oil'  between  the  fingei's;  they  are  contained  in  thick  cups 
swollen  toward  the  edge,  and  distinguished  from  all  other  spe- 
cies by  having  the  upper  scales  bent  inward.  The  oldest  trees 
alone  ai"e  productive,  and  their  fruit  never  exceeds  a  few  hand- 
fuls. 

In  the  winter  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  the  Scrub  Oak  from 
the  Black  Jack  Oak,  which  it  nearly  resembles.  Like  that,  it 
is  crooked,  ramified  at  the  height  of  two  or  three  feet,  and 
covered  with  a  thick,  blackish,  deeply-furrowed  bark:  it  is, 
besides,  perfectly  similar  in  the  color,  texture,  and  weight  of  its 
wood.  At  Wilmington  the  Scrub  Oak  is  the  best  fuel,  and  is 
sold  separately;  but,  notwithstanding  its  abundance  in  this 
district,  it  is  insufficient  for  the  supply  of  the  inhabitants.  Its 
size  alone  would  exclude  it  from  use  in  the  arts. 

The  general  character  of  this  tree  forbids  the  hopes  of  ad- 
vantage that  might  be  conceived  from  its  flourishing  upon  the 
most  sterile  soils. 

PLATE  XXII. 

A  branch  with  leaves  ami  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 


!l   h 


li! 


m 


//  ..; 


HK^' 


X 


/ 


m } 


SPANISH  OAK. 

QuEROUS  FALCATA.     (J.  fol'ds  lo))(/t  })diolatis,  suhpalmato-lobatis,  sublas 
cxwiie  iomentosis,  lobis  falcatis  ;  cupula  crateriformi;  glande  subglobosd. 

Quercus  clongata.     Willd. 

This  species,  like  the  Black  Jack  Oak.  begins  to  show  itself 
in  New  Jersey,  near  AUentown,  about  sis  !y  miles  from  Phila- 
delphia. But  even  at  this  distance  it  is  smaller  thau  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  city,  where  it  acquinjs  it"  perfect 
development  and  where  its  leaves  exhibit  their  ■  .pproprir.  t  e 
form.  Farther  south  it  is  constantly  found  among  the  m  oi. 
common  trees  in  the  forests.  I  have  observed  that  it  is  less 
multiplied  near  the  mountains  and  in  the  country ';ey.  ad  them. 
In  Delaware,  Maryland,  and  Virginia,  it  is  knoAvii  only  by  the 
name  of  Spanish  Oak,  and  in  the  Caroliniis  and  Gc'U'gia  by  that 
of  Red  Oak.  In  an  old  English  woi'k  which  I  found  in  the 
library  of  Charleston  it  is  said  to  have  been  called  Spanish  Oak 
by  the  first  settlers,  from  the  resemblance  of  its  loaves  to  those 
of  the  Quercus  velanl  which  grows  in  Spain.  Whetlier  this 
etymology  is  just  or  not  I  am  unable  to  say;  but  it  is  unknown 
to  the  inhabitants  who  have  adopted  the  name.  The  deno- 
mination of  Red  Oak,  which  is  used  r^ly  in  the  more  Southern 
States,  was  probably  given  it  on  accc  ".:,,  of  the  great  analogy 
between  its  wood  and  that  of  the  species  thus  called  in  the 
Northern  and  Middle  States,  whrvti  the  Spanish  Oak  is  much 
less  common  than  in  the  South. 

This  tree  is  more  than  eighty  feet  in  height  and  four  or  five 
feet  in  diameter.  Its  leaves  are  very  different  on  different  indi- 
viduals :  thus,  in  New  Jersey,  where  the  tree  is  only  thirty  feet 
high  and  four  or  five  inches  thick,  they  are  three-lobod,  except 
a  few  on  the  summit,  and  not  falcated  as  on  the  large  stocks  in 


^M 


;  (If  I 


1 1    1 


"li      ' 


J  I 


I 


74 


SPANISH     OAK. 


the  Southern  States.  On  young  phints,  and  on  the  lower  branches 
of  the  most  vigorous  stocks  growing  in  moist  and  shaded  situa- 
tions, they  are  also  trilobed ;  and  on  the  upper  limbs  they  are 
more  acutely  laciniated,  with  the  sections  more  arching,  than 
those  represented  in  the  figure.  This  remarkable  difference  led 
my  father  to  describe  as  a  distinct  species,  under  the  name  of 
Quercus  triloba,  the  individuals  whose  foliage  had  not  acquired 
its  perfect  form.  Sometimes  on  the  sprouts  of  trees  that  have 
been  felled  the  leaves  are  deeply  denticulated  at  right  angles  to 
the  main  rib.  One  of  their  constant  characters  is  a  thick  down 
upon  the  lower  side  of  the  leaf  and  upon  the  young  shoots  to 
which  they  are  attached. 

The  acorns  are  small,  round,  of  a  brown  color,  and  con- 
tained in  slightly-scaly  cups  supported  by  peduncles  one  or  two 
lines  in  length.  They  resemble  those  of  the  Bear  Oak,  and,  like 
them,  preserve  for  a  l(mg  time  the  faculty  of  germination. 

The  bark  upon  the  trunk  is  blackish  and  deeply  furrowed, 
with  a  cellular  tissue  of  middling  thickness.  The  wood  is  red- 
dish and  coarse-grained,  with  empty  pores  and  all  iho  charac- 
teristic properties  of  the  species  known  in  commerce  by  the 
general  name  of  Red  Oak :  hence  its  staves  are  fit  only  to  con- 
tain molasses  and  pro-'isions  and  dry-goods.  I  liave  been  told 
tliat  in  the  West  Indies  the  Red  Oak  staves  from  the  Southern 
States,  where  this  species  abounds,  are  the  most  esteemed;  from 
wliich  it  seems  probable  that  its  wood  is  Ix'tter  than  that  of  tlie 
Red,  Scarlet,  and  Black  Oaks  that  furnish  almost  all  the  Red 
Oak  staves  from  the  Northern  and  Middle  States:  this  supe- 
riority, however,  is  not  sufficiently  marked  to  occasion  a  difier- 
ence  in  the  price. 

From  its  want  of  durability,  the  Spanish  Oak  is  less  esteemed 
than  the  White  Oak,  the  Port  Oak,  and  other  species  of  annual 
fructification.  It  is  rarely  em[)loyed  in  buihling,  and  is  used 
by  wheelwrights  only  at  Baltimore,  where  it  is  preferred  to  the 
White  Oak  for  the  felloes  of  large  wheels. 


ii! 


SPANISH     OAK. 


76 


The  principal  merit  of  the  Spanish  Oak,  which  gives  it  a 
superiority  over  most  other  species  in  the  United  States,  resides 
in  its  bark.  This  is  preferred  for  tanning  coarse  leather,  which 
it  renders  whiter  and  more  supple;  it  is  consequently  sold  at 
Philadelphia  and  Wilmington  a  fourth  dearer  than  that  of  the 
other  Oaks :  the  leather  is  said  to  be  improved  by  the  addition 
of  a  small  quantity  of  the  bark  of  the  Hemlock  Spruce. 

The  Spanish  Oak  is  adapted  to  the  climate  of  the  centre  of 
France,  if  we  may  judge  from  its  multiplication  in  the  nurseries 
and  in  the  gardens  o^  amateurs.  The  stocks  that  have  sprung 
from  the  acorns  which  I  sent  home  during  my  residence  in 
America  bear  as  yet  only  three-lobed  leaves;  but  they  will 
become  falcated  at  a  maturer  age. 

From  the  inferiority  of  its  wood,  this  species  would  not,  in  my 
opinion,  deserve  a  place  in  our  forests,  though  its  bark  should 
prove  equal  to  that  of  the  European  Oak.  But  in  the  Southern 
States,  when  some  species  of  trees  are  to  be  multiplied  in  pre- 
ference to  others,  the  Spanish  Oak  alone  should  be  spared  among 
the  Red  Oaks,  as,  besides  its  superiority  in  other  respects,  it  has 
the  advantage  of  liourisliing  on  lands  of  a  middling  quality, 
such  as  compose  a  large  part  of  that  section  of  the  United 
States. 

PLATE  XXIII. 

A  branch  with  leaves  and  f  nut  of  the  natural  size. 


J 


:i  1  1 


I  HI 
lili 


WW 


HE  1 


'  ■•        ' 


ill!!       ! 


I       ,   1 


if  ' 


II  .  ! 

LJni 


BLACK    OAK. 

QuEiicus  TINCTOKIA.     Q.  folus  j^rofioiS  simwsis,  siibtus  indccndenUs ; 
eupulCi  iurbinatd,  squamosa;  glande  brcvi  ovatd. 

Except  the  district  of  Maine,  the  northern  part  of  New 
Hampshire,  Vermont,  and  Tenncsseo,  this  species  is  found 
throughout  the  United  States  on  both  sides  of  the  Alleghiuiies, 
and  it  is  everywhere  called  Black  Oak.  It  is  more  abundant  in 
tiic  Middle  States  and  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Carolinas  and 
Georgia  tiian  on  the  Southern  coast. 

The  Bhick  Oak  flourishes  in  a  poorer  soil  than  the  White 
Oak.  In  Maryland  and  certain  districts  of  Virginia,  where  the 
soil  is  lean,  gravelly,  and  uneven,  it  is  constantly  united  in  the 
forests  with  the  Scarlet,  Spanish,  and  Post  Oaks,  and  the  Mocker- 
init  Hickory,  with  which  the  Yellow  Pine  is  also  frequently 
mingled. 

This  Oak  is  one  of  the  loftiest  trees  of  North  America,  being 
eighty  or  ninety  feet  high  and  four  or  five  feet  in  diameter. 
The  leaves  are  large,  deeply  laciniated,  and  divided  into  four  or 
five  IoIm's:  they  resemble  those  of  the  Scarlet  Oak,  but  have 
loss  deep  and  oju'ii  sinuses,  are  less  shining,  of  a  duller  green, 
and  in  the  spring  and  during  a  part  of  the  sunnner  have  their 
siu'face  roughened  with  small  glands,  which  are  sensible  to  the 
eye  and  to  the  touch.  The  same  appearance  is  observed  on  the 
young  shoo.  ^.  1  have  remarked  that  the  leaves  of  tlie  young 
stocks  cliange  in  the  autumn  to  a  dull  red,  and  those  of  the  old 
trees  to  yellow,  beginning  with  the  ))etiole. 

Tiie  trunk  is  covered  with  a  deeply-furrowed  bark  of  middling 

thickness,  and  always  of  a.  black   or  very  deej)  brown  color, 

whence  probably  is  derived  the  nanu'  of  tlic  tree.     Northeast 

of  Pennsylvania  the  complexion  of  the  bark  is  the  only  cha- 
70 


ntis; 

)und 

nies, 

it  in 

and 

Hiite 
e  the 
1  the 
ckor- 
ently 

Ijeing 
neter. 
i)ur  or 
have 
•rreen, 
'  their 
to  the 
on  the 
young 
the  old 


iddling 
1  color, 
rtlieast 
ly  cha- 


I!  !'■ 


'•    !( 


I'i  { 


li 


\ 


^ 


II 


'!  I 


I    ; 


A...1  j(/ 


CluMU'  (iiKM-ciiroii 

(hici'i IIS  /iin/i>riit  ■ 


Ill 


!  S 


■i!;,    * 


If 


■'' 


:|  ('1  ; 


'ilili!:!i| 


il 


BLACK     OAK. 


77 


racter  by  which  it  can  be  (listinguished  from  the  Red,  Scarlet, 
and  Gray  Oaks,  when  the  leaves  are  fallen.  Farther  south  this 
character  is  not  sufficient  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Spanish 
Oak,  the  bark  of  which  is  of  the  same  color;  and  recourse  must 
be  had  to  the  buds,  which,  on  the  Black  Oak,  are  longer,  more 
acuminate,  and  moi'e  scaly.  All  doubt  may  be  removed  by 
chewing  a  bit  of  the  cellular  tissue  of  each;  that  of  the  Black 
Oak  is  very  bitter  and  gives  a  yellow  tinge  to  the  saliva,  which 
is  not  the  case  with  the  other. 

The  wood  is  reddish  and  coarse-grained,  with  empty  pores :  it 
is,  howevei',  more  esteemed  for  strength  and  durability  than  that 
of  any  other  species  of  biennial  fructification.  At  Philadelphia 
it  is  employed,  for  want  of  Wliite  Oak,  in  building;  and  the 
farmers  of  the  Northern  States,  with  false  economy,  substitute 
it  in  the  place  of  the  White  Oak  for  fences. 

As  this  species  is  abundant  in  the  Nortiiern  and  Middle  States, 
it  furnishes  a  large  proportion  of  the  Red  Oak  staves  exported 
to  the  colonies  or  employed  at  home  to  contain  flour,  salted  pro- 
visions, and  molasses. 

The  bark  is  extensively  used  in  tanning,  as  it  is  easily  pro- 
cured and  is  rich  in  tannin.  The  only  inconvenience  which 
attends  it  is  imparting  a  3'ellow  color  to  the  leather,  which  must 
be  discharged  by  a  particular  process,  to  prevent  its  staining  the 
stockings:  it  is  a  great  error  to  assert  that  this  color  augments 
its  value. 

From  the  cellular  tissue  of  tlie  Black  Oak  is  obtained  the 
qnercifron,  of  which  grcat  use  is  made  in  dyeing  wool,  silk,  and 
paper-hangings.  According  to  several  authors  Avho  have  written 
on  this  subject,  and,  among  others.  Dr.  Bancroft,  to  whom  we 
are  indebted  for  this  discovery,  one  part  of  quercitron  yields  as 
much  coloring-matter  as  eight  ov  ten  parts  of  woad.  The  decoc- 
tion is  of  a  Ijrownish  yellow,  which  is  rendered  deeper  1)v  alkali 
and  lighter  by  acids.  A  solution  of  alum  causes  a  small  portion 
of  the  coloring-matter  to  fall  in  a  deep  yellow  precipitate ;  solu- 


•I 


''I.:' 


!      \ 


!      il': 


I.    ! 


I  !.^, 


il 


I  'I' 


fir 


78 


B  L  A  C  K     0  A  K. 


tions  of  tin  afford  a  more  abundant  precipitate  of  the  same  color 
but  of  a  much  brighter  hue. 

To  dye  wood,  it  is  sufficient  to  boil  the  quercitron  with  an 
equal  weight  of  alum:  in  dipping  the  stuff,  the  deepest  shade  is 
given  first,  and  afterward  the  straw-color ;  to  animate  the  tint, 
the  stuff  may  be  passed,  in  coming  out  of  the  dye,  through  water 
whitened  with  a  little  washed  chalk.  A  brighter  color  is  obtained 
by  means  of  a  solution  of  tin.  Quercitron  may  be  substituted 
for  woad  in  giving  all  the  shades  of  yellow  to  silk ;  the  pro- 
portion is  one  part  by  weight  to  twelve  parts  of  silk.  In  the 
advertisements  of  Philadelphia  for  February,  1808,  this  sub- 
stance is  rated  at  forty  dollars  a  ton,  and  from  that  city  chiefly 
it  is  exported  to  Eui'ope. 

Though  the  wood  of  the  Black  Oak  is  of  a  better  quality 
than  that  of  the  Scarlet,  Spanish,  Red,  Pin,  Gray,  Willow,  and 
Water  Oaks,  which  are  all  comprehended  under  the  name  of 
Red  Oah,  it  is  much  inferior  to  that  of  the  European  Oak.  But 
its  stature,  the  rapidity  of  its  growth  in  the  coldest  climates 
and  on  the  most  indifferent  soils,  and,  above  all,  the  value  of 
its  bark  in  dyeing,  recommend  it  powerfully  to  the  notice  of 
European  foresters. 

[This  Oak  produces  a  small  acorn,  sometimes  striped  with 
bars  of  yellow  and  brown,  in  a  very  deep  cup.  The  leaves 
figured  are  such  as  can  always  be  found  on  the  young,  lower, 
vigorous  sprouts ;  the  leaves  on  old  trees  are  deeply  lobed, — 
almost  as  much  so  as  those  of  the  Scarlet  Oak.  Upon  these,  as 
well  as  on  those  of  the  Red  and  Scarlet,  are  found  smooth, 
round,  light  excrescences,  called  oak-apples,  from  one  to  two 
inches  in  diameter,  formed  by  the  ex*  nsion  of  the  cuticle  of 
the  leaf.  They  are  produced  by  an  insect,  Cynis  confiuenhus, 
which  punctures  the  healthy  leaf  and  deposits  therein  an  egg, 
about  which  the  apple  forms.  "A  single  grub,"  says  Harris, 
*'  lives  in  the  kernel,  becomes  a  chrysalis  in  the  autumn,  when 


;  color 

ith  an 
lade  is 
le  tint, 
L  water 
itained 
itituted 
lie  pro- 

In  the 
is   sub- 

chieflv 


quality 
ow,  and 
lame  of 
ik.  But 
climates 
ralue  of 
otice  of 


)ed  with 
e  leaves 
g,  lower, 
lobed, — 
these,  as 
smooth, 
e  to  two 
uticle  of 
njiuenius, 
w  an  egg, 
s  Harris, 
nn,  when 


I         ll! 


11  li 


I ; 


4' 


n: 


l!  1 


4\\    I    ill'! 


liiii;!'  Ii! 
ill   T 

w 

il:' 


I     !il 


!:: 


/I,:,..,,,/./ 


Scarlol  Oak. 


t'.//(r/i'/-''f/^' 


/'/.■.- 


I'.i.M 


,.;,/<w/.'*f 


lsiljillj 


'  l! 


IS 

a 
a 
c 
a 
i< 

S 
S 


tl 


SCARLET    OAK. 


79 


the  oak-apple  falls  from  the  tree,  changes  to  a  l\y  in  the  spring, 
and  makes  its  escape  out  of  a  small  round  hole  which  it  gnaws 
through  the  kernel  and  shell.] 

PLATE  XXIV. 

A  leaf  of  the  natural  size. 
Note. — The  small  branch  with  the  acorns  belongs  to  the  Scarlet  Oak. 


SCARLET  OAK. 

QuERCUs  cocciNEA.  Q,  folUs  lough  pciiolatis,  ohlongis,  profamU  sinuatis, 
glahris;  lobis  dentatis,  acutis ;  cupula  insifjniter  sqiuxmosd ;  glande  brevi 
ocatd. 

The  Scarlet  Oak  is  first  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston;  but  it 
is  less  multiplied  than  in  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Virginia, 
and  the  upper  part  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia,  where  it  forms 
a  part  of  the  forests  that  are  still  standing:  it  is  much  less 
common  in  the  lower  parts  of  these  States,  which,  as  I  have 
already  observed,  produce  nothing  but  Pines.  I  have  not  seen 
it  in  the  district  of  Maine,  the  States  of  New  Hampshire  and 
Vermont,  nor  Ijeyond  Utica  in  Genesee.  In  the  Northern 
States  it  is  confounded  with  the  Red  Oak,  and  in  those  of  the 
South  with  the  Spanish  Oak.  The  name  of  Scarlet  Oak  was 
given  it  by  my  father,  and,  though  not  in  use  by  the  inha- 
bitants, it  will  probably  be  adopted,  as  the  tree  is  evidently  a 
distinct  species. 

This  is  a  vegetable  of  more  than  eighty  feet  in  height  and  of 
three  or  four  feet  in  diameter.  The  leaves,  which  are  supported 
by  long  petioles,  are  of  a  beautiful  green,  smooth,  shining  on 


;'  'I' 


Ik. 


II 


li  ii 


liil 


ill 


I.  ■ 
I 


I,  ,t 

I 


1 5 ' ; 


m  'ii 


'1! 


80 


SCARLET    OAK. 


both  sides,  and  laciniated  in  a  remarkable  manner,  having 
usually  four  deep  sinuses  very  broad  at  the  bottom.  They 
begin  to  change  with  the  first  cold,  and,  after  several  si,  recessive 
frosts,  turn  to  a  l)right  r(\d,  instead  of  a  dull  hue  like  those  of 
the  Ked  Oak.  At  this  season  the  singular  color  of  the  foliage 
forms  a  striking  contrast  with  that  of  the  surrounding  trees, 
and  is  alone  a  sufficient  inducement  to  cultivate  the  tree  for 
ornament. 

The  acorns  are  large,  somewhat  elongated,  similarly  rounded 
at  both  ends,  and  half  covered  with  scaly  cups.  As  this  fruit 
varies  in  size  with  the  quality  of  the  soil,  it  is  dilficult  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  that  of  the  Black  Oak;  the  only  constant  dif- 
ference is  in  the  kernel,  which  is  yellowish  in  the  Black  Oak 
and  white  in  the  Scarlet. 

The  wood  of  this  Oak  is  reddish  and  coarse-grained,  with 
open  pores.  As  it  decays  much  more  rapidly  than  the  White 
Oak,  it  is  employed  by  the  builder  and  wheelwright  only  from 
necessity  or  ecor.omy.  It  is  poor  fuel,  and  is  used  principally 
for  staves.  In  the  Middle  States  a  large  part  of  the  Bed  Oak 
staves  are  fiu'uished  by  this  species. 

The  bark,  though  very  thick  and  generally  employed  in 
tanning,  is  in  no  respect  preferable  to  that  of  the  Gray  and  Bed 
Oaks. 

That  this  tree  will  flourish  in  France  is  shown  by  an  examj)le 
at  Bandjouillet,  where  it  makes  part  of  a  beautiful  plantation 
forty-five  feet  in  height,  ibnned  in  1780,  of  s})eeies  sent  home  by 
my  father  soon  after  his  arrival  in  tlie  United  States.  It  is  to 
be  I'egretted  that  so  fuie  a  tree,  which  is  so  well  adapted  to  our 
soil,  should  afford  such  indifferent  wood  that  we  cannot  recom- 
mend its  introduction  into  tlie  forests  of  Europe  nor  its  preser- 
vation in  those  of  the  United  States. 

[The  leaves  of  the  Scnrlet  Oak  so  nuidi  resemble  those  of  the 
Black   tbat  a  novice  will  easily  confound  them.     In  fhe  Black 


having 
They 
;cessivc 
hose  of 
I  foliage 
g  trees, 
tree  for 

rounded 
lis  fi'uit 
t  to  dis- 
tant dif- 
ick  Oak 

ed,  with 
le  White 
nly  from 
ineipally 
Ual  Oak 

U)yed    in 
and  Red 

exaini)le 

hmtation 

lonie  by 

It  is  to 

cd  to  oiu' 

)t  rcconi- 

ts  prcser- 


ose  of  the 
I  he  IJhick 


ii    ■  t 


i!«f-^'— ■ 


i    I 


'         I 


/'/  Jt 


A.     Ut 


Oi-av   Oak 

0/tiTiti.>-  atn/>ii/itii 


/W. '/■/./ A  i^' 


//  U: 


ii,iUhi  Xn.'c 


t    \ 


IF 


T't 


'^IjtJ 


GRAY     OAK. 


81 


the  leaves  are  broader  anc  fuller  toward  the  ends,  larger,  more 
nearly  entire,  and  usually  darker  and  thicker.  In  the  Scarlet 
Oak  the  leaves  are  fuller  toward  the  middle,  smaller,  thinner, 
more  deeply  cut,  and  of  a  lighter  and  livelier  color;  on  small 
plants  especially  more  deeply  cut,  but  sometimes  running  down 
along  the  footstalk:  the  footstalk  is  more  slender  and  longer, 
and  both  surfaces  and  the  axils  of  the  veins  are  always  less 
downy.  In  the  fall  the  rich  and  beautiful  deep  scarlet  color, 
red  dotted  with  crimson,  or  orange-scarlet,  of  the  foliage  of  this 
Oak,  make  it  unmistakable  from  a«y  other  species.] 


Note. 


PLATE  XXV. 

A  leaf  of  (he  natural  size. 
-Thtt  ii(orni>  in  tin's j)ltif-  luknuj  to  the  Blade  Oak, 


GRAY   OAK. 

QuERCUS  BORKAi.is.     Q.  follis  f'ltna'i^,  f/hhris,  siiuibus  subacittis ;  ctipiild 
siibscKkdata  ;  ijliihilc  luryklc  ucatd. 

The  Gray  Oak  appears,  by  my  fatlier\s  notes,  to  be  found 
fartlior  north  than  any  other  specie.^  in  Aniorlca:  in  returning 
from  Hudson's  Tiwy  he  saw  it  on  tlie  8t.  Lawrence  between 
QiielH?c  and  Maln';>oie,  in  latitude  47°  50'.  Undi'r  that  paralh'l, 
and  near  Ilalif  v  in  Nova  Scotia,  where  I  lirst  cbserved  it,  it  is 
not  more  than  forty  feet  higli ;  and,  though  tiie  bloom  is  annual, 
the  winter  is  t'o  rigonnr  and  long  that  the  fruit  is  said  to  be 
matured  only  oncf  in  three  or  four  years.  Three  degrees 
farther  south,  in  Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  and  on  the  shores 
of  Lake  Champlain  in  Vermont,  it  is  more  uuiltiplied,  and  is 

Vol,.  I.-(i 


'\  'i 


ii  ij|:jl 


f7="- 


illl 


i    lli'il 


II,        I 


1'        ,    'i 


iiil  Ti^M 


!i; 


i:  , 


82 


GRAY    OAK. 


fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  height  and  eighteen  inches  in  diameter. 
It  is  called  by  the  inhabitants  Gray  Oak;  bnt  it  has  been  con- 
founded by  botanists  with  the  Red  Oak,  to  which  it  bears  a  close 
analogy  in  its  foliage,  as  it  does  to  the  Scarlet  Oak  in  its  fruit: 
on  tliis  resemblance  I  have  founded  the  Latin  specific  name 
amhirfiia. 

The  leaves  are  large,  smooth,  and  deeply  sinuatcd  at  right 
^angles  to  the  main  rib.  The  acorns  are  of  the  middle  size, 
rounded  at  the  end,  and  contained  in  scaly  cmis. 

The  wood  is  similar  to  that  of  the  other  species  included 
under  the  commgn  name  of  Eed  Oak.  Its  coarse  and  open 
texture  renders  it  unfit  for  any  use  except  to  contain  dry 
wares;  but,  in  districts  where  Oak  wood  is  rar^^,  recourse  ns 
had  for  other  purposes  to  several  species  of  inferior  qualify, 
which  are  still  superior  to  the  Birchj  the  Beech,  and  the  Pine. 
Thus,  the  Gray  Oak  is  employed  for  the  kjiees  of  vessels  and  for 
wheelwrights'  work:  it  is  even  preferred  to  the  lied  Oak,  as 
being  stronger  and  more  durable. 

This  tree  is  without  interest,  as  the  regions  in  which  it  grows 
possess  other  species  in  every  respect  more  valuable,  such  as  the 
White  Oak,  the  Swamp  White  Oak,  and  the  Rock  Chestnut  Oak. 

PLATE  XXVI. 

A  branch  with  leaves  and  frail  of  the  natural  size. 


li 


'li 


iameter. 
2en  con- 
5  a  close 
ts  fruit : 
ic  name 

at  right 
die  size, 

included 
nd  open 
tain  dry 
course  'd 
qualify, 
the  Pino. 
8  and  for 
I  Oak,  as 

.  it  grows 
ch  ai?  the 
tnut  Oak. 


m 


M'i- 


'ii'i 


I 
ft' 


M    I 


I.      t! 


1    'I 


i!r> 


:;;!;:  li 


II  i 


ifj 


l*i 


i  i 


■e,'..,.;   ./. 


r.i.    Oi.k 


•,/.</.,■.  .■. 


/'/:- 


^. 


t 


H|^ 


^l:!|    :! 


Ill 


lull 


PIN   OAK. 

QuERCUS   PALUSTRis.     Q.  foUis  profuiidt  sinuads,  glahrifi,  sinubus  latis; 
fructti  parco  ;  ciqjulct,  scutdUitd,  Icvi;  fflande  sabfflobosd. 

This  species,  like  the  preceding,  grows  in  Massachusetts, 
but  is  less  common  than  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  in 
New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  Maryland.  I  saw  it  abundant 
beyond  the  mountains  near  Pittsbu*';;,  in  Ohio,  and  in  East 
Tennessee;  and  my  father  found  i'  Itiplied  in  the  country  of 
Illinois:  I  feel  assurtd  that  it  does  iuit  exist  in  Maine,  Vermont, 
and  the  Southern  States.  It  is  called  Pin  Oak  in  the  lower  part 
of  New  York  and  in  New  Jersey,  and  Swamp  Spanish  Oak  in 
Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  and  Maryland.  The  last  of  these  de- 
nominations is  sufficiently  appropriate;  but  I  have  preferred  the 
second,  because  it  is  less  liable  to  mistake,  and  is  indicative  of  a 
characteristic  arrangement  of  the  branches. 

The  Pin  Oak  is  a  tall  tree,  which  grows  constantly  in  moist 
places  and  prefers  the  swamps  enclosed  in  the  forests.  In  these 
situations  it  is  frequently  more  than  eighty  feet  high  and  three 
or  four  feet  in  diameter.  Its  secondary  branches  are  more 
slender  and  numerous  than  is  common  on  so  large  a  tree,  and 
are  intermingled  so  as  to  give  it  at  a  distance  the  appearance  of 
being  stuffed.  This  singular  disposition  renders  it  distinguish- 
able at  first  sight  in  the  winter,  and  is  perhaps  the  cause  of  its 
being  called  Pin  Oak.  The  leaves  are  smooth,  of  a  pleasing 
green,  supported  by  long  petioles,  deeply  laciniated,  and  very 
similar  to  those  of  the  Scarlet  Oak,  from  which  they  differ  prin- 
cipally in  their  proportions.  The  acorns  are  small,  round,  and 
contained  in  flat  shallow  cups,  of  which  the  scales  are  closely 
applied  one  upon  another. 

The  bark  upon  the  oldest  trunk  is  scarcely  cracked,  and  con- 
sists almost  wholly  of  a  very  thick  cellular  tissue.     The  wood  is 

S3 


if  ::', 


: 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


11 


1.0 


1.1 


■^  Uii   12.2 


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lit 


1J5     U,  n.6 

S^^B=                    ^^^          II     ^^B 

'        . 

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> 


>' 


y 


Photograiiiic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


^ 


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■9- 


4 


33  WnT  MAIN  STRIIT 

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RED    OAK. 


coarse-grained,  witli  tlie  pores  open  and  larger  than  those  of  the 
Scarlet  and  Red  Oaks.  Though  stronger  and  more  tenacious 
than  those  species,  it  is  little  esteemed  for  durability.  It  is  used 
for  the  shafts  of  mill-wheels  when  White  Oak  of  sufficient  dimen- 
sions cannot  be  procured;  it  is  also  sometimes,  though  rarely, 
made  into  staves,  as  the  species  is  little  multiplied  compared 
with  the  Scarlet,  Red,  and  Black  Oaks. 

The  Pin  Oak  in  its  youth  assumes  an  agreeable  pyramidal 
shape,  and  its  light  elegant  foliage  contributes  greatly  to  its 
beauty.  It  deserves  a  conspicuous  place  in  parks  and  gardens. 
It  should  never  be  deprived  of  its  interior  branches.  The  most 
beautiful  stock  of  tliis  species  with  which  I  am  acquainted  in 
Europe  is  in  a  garden  near  Antwerp:  it  was  about  twenty  feet 
high  in  1804,  and  its  brilliant  and  vigorous  vegetation  proved 
how  well  the  soil  and  climate  were  adapted  to  it. 

PLATE  XXVII. 

A  branch  ivith  leaccs  and  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 


RED   OAK. 

QuERCUs  BUBiiA.     Q. /(iliis  loiit/(^  jxiioliitis,  t/liiltris,  obtuse  sinuatis;  nipuld 
tscuiiilald,  tsabldci;  yhtiuk  subucatd. 

Next  to  the  Gray  Oak,  this  si)ecies  is  found  in  the  highest 
latitude  of  all  the  American  Oaks,  and  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
mon ppecies  in  the  Nortlu'rn  States  and  in  (.'anada.  Farther 
south,  particularly  in  tlie  lower  part  of  New  York,  in  New 
Jersey,  the  upper  districts  of  Pennsylvania.,  and  along  th<'  whole 
range  of  the  Alh'glianies.  it  is  nearly  as  abundant  as  the  S-arlet 


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RED    OAK. 


85 


and  Black  Oaks;  but  it  is  much  less  common  in  Maryland, 
Lower  Virginia,  and  the  maritime  parts  of  the  Carolinas  and 
Georgia.  This  remark  confirms  an  observation  which  I  have 
often  made, — that  its  perfect  development  requires  a  cool 
climate  and  a  fertile  soil.  It  is  universallj'  known  by  the  name 
of  Red  Oak,  except  near  Lancaster  in  Pennsylvania,  where  it  is 
sometimes  confounded  with  the  Spanish  Oak. 

The  Red  Oak  is  a  tall,  wide-spreading  tree,  frequently  more 
than  eighty  feet  high  and  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter.  Its 
leaves  are  smooth  and  shining  on  both  sides,  large,  deeply  laci- 
niated,  and  rounded  at  the  base.  They  are  larger  and  have 
deeper  and  narrower  sections  on  the  young  stocks  than  on  the 
middle  or  the  summit  of  the  full-grown  tree :  these  last  resemble 
the  leaves  of  the  Spanish  Oak,  which,  however,  are  always 
downy  beneath,  while  those  of  the  Red  Oak  are  perfectly 
smooth.  In  the  autumn  they  change  to  a  dull  red,  and  turn 
yellow  before  they  fall. 

The  acorns  are  very  large  and  abundant,  rounded  at  the  sum- 
mit, compressed  at  the  base,  and  contained  in  flat  cups  covered 
with  narrow,  compact  scales.  They  are  voraciously  devoured 
by  wild  animals,  and  by  the  cows,  horses,  and  swine  which  are 
allowed  to  range  in  the  woods  after  the  herbage  has  perished. 

The  wood  is  reddish  and  coarse-grained,  and  the  pores  are 
often  large  enough  for  the  passage  of  a  hair;  it  is  strong  but  not 
durable,  and  is  the  last  among  the  Oaks  to  be  employed  in 
building.  Its  principal  use  is  for  staves,  which  at  home  are 
used  to  contain  salted  provisions,  flour,  and  such  dry  wares  as 
are  exported  to  the  islands,  and,  in  the  colonies,  to  receive  mo- 
lasses and  sugar. 

The  bark  consists  of  a  very  thin  epidermis  and  a  very  thick 
cellular  tissue.  It  is  extensively  used  in  tanning,  but  is  less 
esteemed  than  that  of  the  Spanish,  Black,  and  Rock  Chestnut 
Oaks. 

The  Rod  Oak  was  one  of  the  earliest  American  trees  intro- 


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ADDITIONS    TO    THE    OAKS. 


duccd  into  Europe.  Large  stocks  are  found  on  the  estate  of 
Duhamel,  Avliiclr  yield  seed  abundantly  and  even  multiply  natu- 
rally; but  the  quality  of  its  wood  is  so  inferior  that  I  cannot 
recommend  its  propagation  in  our  forests. 

[The  Red  is  the  most  northern  of  the  Oaks,  Dr.  Richardson 
reporting  it  as  far  north  as  Saskatchawan  and  the  rocks  of  Lake 
Namakeen.  Though  its  usefulness  is  not  great,  its  beauty  is 
unsurpassed,  as  are  also  its  dimensions,  which  give  an  idea  of 
nobility  and  strength.  It  grows  rapidly  from  stoles,  sometimes 
six  feet  in  a  season.] 

PLATE   XXYIII. 

A  hrmu'h  with  leaves  ami  fruit  of  the  natural  size. 


ADDITIONS  TO  THE   OAKS. 

In  the  Flora  Americw  Septentrionalis  of  Pursh,  published  in 
England  in  1814,  the  following  species  of  Oak  are  added  to 
those  which  I  have  described : — 

QuERri's   MARITIMA.      Q.   foliis  perennanlihun,  coriaceis,  inlegorimis,  glabris,  basi 
allcmtatis,  apice  mucronatin;  aipulci  scutcUat/i;  ylande  suhrolunda. 

A  shrub  from  thi'ee  to  eight  feet  high,  found  on  the  sea-coast 
in  Virginia  and  Carolina.  I  consider  it  as  a  variety  of  the 
Willow  Oak,  Quercnfi  ]^)heUos. 

Qi'EH(;ls  myrtifoma.      Q.  fuliis  jipremiantihns,  coriaceiK,  ohlongk,  infegemmis,  gla- 
hrix,  iiln'nqiie  aciiti,'<,  mipnt  iiiliilis,  margiiie  7-erohiliii. 

This  species,  of  which  Mr.  Pursh  appears  to  have  seen  neither 
the  blossoms  nor  the  acorns,  escaped  my  researches :  perhaps  it 


ADDITIONS     TO    THE     OAKS. 


87 


is  the  variety  of  the  Water  Oak  which  I  found  among  the  Live 
Oaks,  and  winch  preserves  its  leaves  for  three  or  four  years. 

QuFRCus  HEMispii/ERiCA.  Q,  foUis  jierennatUibits,  ohlongo-lanceolatis,  trilohis  sinuatis- 
que,  lobi.i  mucronatis,  utiinque  glabria.    AVilld. 

Mr.  Pursh  has  inserted  this  species  from  Willdenow,  and  be- 
lieves it  to  be  a  variety  of  the  Water  Oak,  Quercus  aquatica. 

QuERCUS  NANA.  Q.  folils  cmieifomiis,  ghihris,  apice  trilobis,  host  subainuatif,  lohis, 
divaricatis,  niucronatis,  intermedio  majore;  ciqntld  scutellatd. 

According  to  Mr.  Pursh,  this  species  I  a  low-growing  shrub, 
distinct  from  the  Water  Oak,  Quercus  aquatica. 

QuERCL's  DISCOLOR.  Q.  foliis  oblonrjt.i,  piiinatijido-sinuatiii,  subtun  pubescentibiis,  lobis 
oblongis,  dentatis,  seiaceo-mucionatl.i ;  ciiptild  tiirbinatd. 

This  species  of  Mr.  Pursh  I  consider  as  a  variety  of  the 
Quercus  imcforia. 

OAKS  found  in  New  Spain  by  Messrs.  Humboldt  and  Bonpland, 
and  described  in  their  "No^a  Genera  et  Species  Plantarum." 
Paris,  1816. 

Quercus  covfertifolia.  Q.  ramtih'.'i  abbrevi'aiin ;  foUix  brerh.iime  pctiuhtlis,  con- 
ferfis,  Inweohitls,  acumiimtis,  mun'nnato-ari.tMin,  inter/rrn'mit,  cnriaceis;  man/ine  suit- 
rejlexis,  subtus pubescentibns;  fmclibus  subtjeminlx,  ncsaiUbnit. 

This  tree  is  ten  or  twelve  foet  in  height:  it  is  evergreen, 
grows  in  the  tei.^.perate  and  mountainous  regions  of  N.',.-  Spain, 
between  Guanajuato  and  Santa  Rosa,  and  fructifies  in  Sep. ember. 

QuERCu."  crassipes.  Q.  ramrdln  tuhernilnniii ;  fnHisi  brerltcr  pctiolatis,  lanpeola/n- 
oblonfjis,  miirrniiatis,  basi  roliimhitia,  iutri/rrrimis,  run'itcei.i,  mihfu.i  rinrreo-tomeiifnsi.i ; 
fructibus  pedunctilau'  ,wb(/emin.',i ;  pnhi)inill.'<  incransati.i ;  cupiili.'i  .iitbhtrbinaii.i. 

This  tree  is  about  twenty  feet  high :  it  is  found  on  the  low 
mountains  of  New  Spain,  near  Santa  Rosa,  and  fructifies  in 
September  and  October. 

Quercus  Mexicana.  Q.  ramuIi.ifoJII.iqur,  .vibtu.i  .iMIatlm  pvbe.imif'ht's,  svjyra  nitidis, 
Uiie(vi-oblonr/is,  acuti.i,  submucromiiis,  .vibrordali.i,  intdulaft)-SHbsiHualis,  subcoriaceia ; 
fructibus  soUfariis,  breviter  peduncnlatis ;  cuimlii:  cyalkijhniiibus. 

This   species   rises  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet:    it  is  very 


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88 


ADDITIONS     TO    THE     OAKS. 


abundant  between  Acapulco  and  the  city  of  Mexico,  near  Mojo- 
nera,  Quajiniquilapa,  and  Chilpalcingo,  and  is  also  found  near 
Moran,  Eegla,  Guanajuato,  and  Santa  Eosa:  it  fructifies  in 
September. 

Qi'ERCL's  i.ANCEor.ATA.  Q.  ramttUx  tuhercitlatix ;  foliis  oUongo-lanceolatis,  uirhique 
aaifL^,  vmlidato-repandis,  coriacei.i,  nupra  nitidis,  subtus  stcllatim puhescentibus ;  fnictihti.t 
sulitemis,  brevissime  pedunculaiis ;  aipulis  cyathiformibiis. 

This  tree  equals  and  sometimes  exceeds  twenty  feet  in  height: 
it  abounds  in  the  temperate  regions  of  Mexico,  between  Moran 
and  Santa  Rosa,  where  it  forms  immense  forests:  it  fructifies  in 
September. 

QuERCUS  TRiDENS.  Q.  vamis  Icevibus  ;  foliis  ohlongis,  hasi  rotnndatis,  apice  eiispidato- 
tndeHtalis,  membranaceis,  svpra  piibescentibus,  subtns  ienniUr  cinereo-tomentosi.i ;  frur- 
tibus  feriiis  aut  qninis,  brcviter  pcdunadatis. 

This  tree  rises  from  ten  to  twenty  feet:  it  grows  in  the  moun- 
tains near  Moran  in  Mexico,  and  fructifies  in  May. 

QuERCus  LAi'RiNA.  Q.  vanudis  r/Jabris,  foliis  ohlonfis,  acumimdis,  hasi  subrnfiindafi.i ; 
apicem  versus  suhdodatis,  coriiiceis,  (jlabris,  nitidis;  frudibus  sulitariis  aut  teniis,  ses- 
silibtts;  eupidis  cyathiformibiis. 

This  is  a  large  tree,  which  resembles  the  Laurel,  and  attains 
the  height  of  forty  feet :  it  is  found  in  the  temperate  parts  of 
New  Spain,  in  the  environs  of  Pachuca,  Totonilco,  and  Grande  : 
it  flowers  in  May. 

QuERCUS  REPANDA.  Q.  frttcticosa ,  procHtnbens  ;  ramidisfoliisquesubtusalbido-tomen- 
tosis,  snbsessilibxs,  oUoiigis,  ohiusivscidis,  bast  inceqiialibus,  siimato-repandis  coriaceis; 
fnictihvs  subsnlitariis,  sessdibus. 

This  is  a  shrub  about  two  feet  in  height :  it  grows  in  moist, 
shady  situations,  between  Real  del  Monte  and  Moran,  and 
flowers  in  May. 

QuERCus  DEi'RESSA.  Q.  frucHcosa  pvocumbcns ;  armulis pubescentibus ;  foliis  semper- 
virentibus,  oblonr/is,  acutis,  basi  rotutidatis,  argute  et  remote  dentatis,  rigidus,  glabris, 
nitidis  ;  frudibus  gcminis  aut  ternis,  brevitcr,  peduncidatis. 

This  species  is  an  evergreen  shrub,  numerously  ramified,  and 
only  one  or  two  feet  in  height :  it  abounds  in  the  same  situa- 
tions with  the  preceding,  and  flowers  in  May  and  June. 


ADDITIONS    TO     THE     OAKS. 


89 


Ql'kucus  ciiRVsoriiVM.A.  Q.  rnmulis  sidcalis,  piihcsccntibiis ;  foUis  oblnitfjis,  basi 
rotumiads,  apiccm  verniis  cuspulatu-dentaiis,  mcinbruiiuccis,  supra  nitidis,  subtiis  tenuis- 
aime  uureo-tomcntosis ;  J'ntdibus  iernis  aut  qtiinis,  pedunculalis. 

This  tree,  wliicli  has  a  thin  foliage,  rises  to  the  hciglit  of 
tliirty  or  forty  feet,  and  is  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  inches 
in  diameter :  it  grows  in  the  temperate  and  stony  parts  of  New 
Spain  between  Moran,  Pachuca,  and  Regla,  and  tiowers  in  May. 

QuERCiis  JALAi'ENSis.  Q.  ritmis  luberadatis ;  foliis  lomjc  ivlialatis,  ovalo-obJongis, 
acnminatis,  remote  cimpidato-denlatis,  .mbeuriitceis,  ylabris ;  fmctibus  solitariis  aut  gemi- 
nis,  hrei'itcr  pedunculatis ;  cupulis  cijathijurmibus. 

This  is  a  very  lofty  tree,  about  two  feet  in  diameter:  it  is 
very  common  in  the  forests  near  Jalapa,  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  mountains  :  it  fructifies  in  January. 

QuERcus  ACUTiroMA.  Q.  foliis  ovato-luHccolatis,  anuminalis,  iiuvqualitcr  subcordatis, 
subtus  pulcendcnto-lomcntusis,  J'errii</ineis,  sinuato-dentutis ;  deutibus  elonyutis,  cuspi- 
datis;  J'ructibus  (jeminis  aut  (piateniis,  brevissime  pedimeulatis. 

A  very  lofty  tree,  about  two  feet  in  diameter,  which  grows 
on  the  west  side  of  the  mountains  between  Venta  de  Acaguisolta 
and  La  Majonera :  it  fructifies  in  May. 

QuERCUs  STiPULARis.  Q.  raiHuIls  fciri((/inco-tomcntosis ;  foliis  ohorato-oblonr/is,  sub- 
cordatis,  argute  ct  grosse  deutatis ;  crasse  coriaccis,  sujira  nitidis,  subtus  facido-iomen- 
tosis ;  stijndis  pcrsisteutibus  ;  J'ruetibus  solitariis,  aut  yeminis,  sessilibus. 

This  tree  rises  to  the  height  of  about  fifty  feet,  and  has  a 
thick  foliage :  it  is  found  on  the  mountains  of  Mexico  neai 
Actopan,  and  fructifies  in  May. 

QuERCus  svDEROxvi.A.  Q.  raiuulis  pubescent ihus;  foliis  obovato-oblongis,  basi  rotun- 
datis,  apicem  versus  argute  scrratis,  cordatis,  remote  et  oljtuse  deiitatis,  membra naceis, 
subtus  tomentosis  ;  fructibus  longe  pedunculalis,  subspicatis  ;  cupnlis  hcmisphmricis. 

A  very  lofty  tree,  from  one  to  two  feet  in  diameter :  it  grows 
in  the  temperate  regions  of  New  Spain  near  Villalpando  and 
Santa  Rosa,  and  fructifies  in  September. 

QuERCUs  Pui.cnEM,A.  Q.  ramis  tuberculatis ;  foliis  ohovato-oblongis,  subcordatis, 
argute  dentatis,  coriaccis,  supra  nitidis,  snbtus  icnuissime  incano-tomentosis ;  fructibus 
geminis,  breviter  pedunctUatis ;  cupulis  depresso-sphcericis. 

This  tree  is  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  grows 


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ADDITIONS     TO    THE     OAKS. 


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in  the  mountainous  regions  of  Now  Spain  between  Guannjuato 
and  Santa  Rosa  :  it  fructifies  in  September. 

QuERCUS  RETicuiiATA.  Q.  ratnulis  suhpuhcscctUibns ;  foliin  sHhii<<iinilibu.<i,  ohovalis, 
cordaiis,  remote  dentalis,  coriaceis,  myosin,  utibtus  lenuinsime  iomenluaia ;  J'ructibua 
(jeminis,  luwje pedunculatifi ;  ciqndis  cyathijhnnibiia. 

A  tall  tree,  which  grows  in  the  mountainous  parts  of  New 
Spain  between  Santa  Rosa  and  Guanajuato,  and  fructifies  in 
September. 

QuERCUS  cnASSiFOMA.  Q.  ramidis  sidcatia,  fuUinqne  mblua,  flaveswnli-tomentosis, 
brenter  pctiolatis,  obovaiii  cordafix,  remote  dentalis,  crasne  conaceia  ;  fnictibus  aiibternis, 
pedunculatis ;  cuptdiit  subsp/uvrivin. 

This  tree  is  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  and  has  a 
very  thick  foliage :  it  is  found  in  the  stony  and  mountain- 
ous regions  of  New  Spain  near  Chilpanciugo,  and  I'ructifies 
in  April. 

QuEBCUS  sriCATA.  Q.  ramulis  tomcntosis;  foliix  clUpticis,  sinuato-dcitlatis,  coriaccis, 
supra  nitidis,  subtus  tenuissime  caiiescenti-tumentosis ;  fnictibus  sidxjeminis,  brevissimc 
pediiHctdatis ;  vupiUis  cyathiformibus. 

This  species  is  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  height,  and  is 
found  in  shady  situations  near  El  Oyainel,  El  Jacal,  and  Cerro 
de  las  Nabajas :  it  fructifies  in  May. 

QuERCus  TANDURATA.  Q.  ramuli.1  laivibns,  kirtis,  foliis  obovato-ublongis,  subpandu- 
ratis,  suhmrdalis,  sinmdo-deiiiatis,  coriaceis,  aubtua  imbescentibua ;  fnictibus  subgitiiti.i, 
pedunculatia ;  aqndis  cyidhiformibua. 

This  species  is  about  fifteen  feet  high :  it  is  found  on  the 
sides  of  the  mountains  in  the  kingdom  of  Mechoacan,  between 
Ario  and  Patzcuaro :  it  fructifies  in  September. 

QuERCUS  AHBiouA.  Q.  ramulis  ylabria,  obovato-obln»f/ia,  obtusis,  basi  rottindatia, 
subrepandia,  membranaceia,  subtu.t  tenuiasime  pubcacentibua ;  fnictibus  quinia  aut  acp- 
tenia  pedunculatia ;  pedunculia  geminia,  elonyatia. 

This  tree  is  about  twenty  feet  high,  and  is  found  in  the  tem- 
perate regions  of  Mexico  near  Moran,  Cerro  Ventoso,  and  Omil- 
ton  :  it  flowers  in  May. 


Jl'l  I 


ADDITIONS     TO    THE     OAKS. 


91 


QuERCPS  oi,AUCF.S(ENS.  Q.  rumuUs  amiulatix ;  /olii.s  hrei-iisime  pclidatis,  oboralo- 
oliloiif/is,  obtusiunculin,  basi  cuneatii,  dentato-siimaiis,  membranaceis,  glauccsccntibus ; 
Jhiclibua  quints  ant  septenis,  peduncidatis. 

A  tall  tree,  very  common  in  the  warm  parts  of  T*Jew  Spain 
between  La  Venta  de  la  Majorena  and  Acaguisotla :  it  blooms 
in  April, 

QuEKCOs  oiiTUSATA.  Q.  ramulis  tubcrculatis,  iennitcr  pvbcsccn/ibv.i,  fuUis  obloiKjis, 
ohhisis  bfisi  iiifrqiialibiia,  repmuJh,  coriuceis,  siibtus  pnlecvuhnio-pubcscodibus ;  fructibus 
aubqidiiig,  pedunculaiis ;  ciqudin  campamdaia-ylubosis. 

This  species  is  very  tall,  with  a  remarkably  straight  trunk : 
it  is  found  in  the  elevated  and  dry  parts  of  New  Spain  near 
Ario,  and  flowers  in  September. 


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Of  the  various  trees  whidi  compose  the  vast  forests  of  North 
America  east  of  the  Mississippi,  the  Wahmt  ranks,  after  the 
Oak,  among  the  genera  the  species  of  which  are  most  multi- 
plied. In  this  particular  the  soil  of  the  Ui  i^od  States  is  more 
favored  than  that  of  Europe,  in  no  part  of  which  is  any  species 
of  this  tiHje  indigenous.  I  have  distinguished  in  the  United 
States  ten  species  of  Walnut,  and  others  will  probably  be  dis- 
covered in  Louisiana.  Ti'avellers  who  visit  these  regions  to 
explore  their  natural  history  should  direct  their  attention  to 
this  class  of  vegetables,  so  interesting  from  the  useful  applica- 
tions of  their  wood  in  the  arts.  There  is  room  to  liope,  also, 
that  species  may  be  discovered,  susceptible,  like  the  Pecannut 
Hickory,  of  rapid  improvement  by  the  aid  of  grafting  and 
attentive  cultivation.  Some  weight  is  given  this  considei'a- 
tion  by  an  observation  which  I  have  often  heard  repeated  by 
my  father,  that  the  fruit  of  the  Common  European  Walnut,  in 
its  natural  state,  is  harder  than  that  of  the  American  species 
just  mentioned,  and  inferior  to  it  in  size  and  (piality.  To  the 
members  of  agricultural  societies  in  the  Uiiited  States  it  belongs 
to  extend  their  observations  and  experiments  on  this  subject, 
after  the  example  of  our  ancestors,  to  whom  we  are  indvbted 
for  a  rich  variety  of  fruits,  e([ually  salutary  and  beautiful. 

Tiie  Walnuts  of  North  America  appear  to  present  characters 

so   distinct   as   to   require    their    division    into    two   sections. 

Tbes((  characters  consist  principally  in  the  form  of  the  barren 

auients   or  catkins,  and   in    the    greater   or   less   i-apidity   of 

vegetation  in   tlie  trees.     The  first  section  is  composed  of  Wal- 
92 


WALNUTS. 


98 


nuts  with  single  aments,  (PI.  29  and  30,)  and  includes  two  spe- 
cies,— the  Black  Walnut  and  the  Butternut;  to  which  is  added 
the  European  Walnut.  The  second  section  consists  of  such  as 
have  compound  aments,  (PI.  30,)  and  comprises  eight  species, — 
the  Pecannut  Hickory,  Bitternut  Hickory,  Water  Bitternut 
Hickory^  Mockernut  Hickory,  Shellbark  Hickory,  Thick  Shell- 
bark  Hickory,  Pignut  Hickory,  and  Nutmeg  Hickoiy.  The 
first  three  species  of  the  second  section  bear  some  relation  to 
those  of  the  first  in  their  buds,  which  are  not  covered  with 
scales.  For  this  reason  I  have  placed  them  immediately  next, 
beginning  with  the  Pecannut  Hickory,  which,  by  its  numerous 
leaflets,  most  nearly  resembles  the  Black  Walnut  and  the  But- 
ternut, whose  buds  are  also  uncovered. 

Throughout  the  United  States  the  common  name  of  Hickory 
is  given  to  the  species  of  the  second  section.  This  universal 
appellation  is  due  to  certain  properties  of  their  wood,  which, 
however  modified,  are  possessed  by  them  all  in  a  greater  degree 
than  by  any  other  tree  of  Europe  or  America.  These  species 
exhibit  also  a  striking  analogy  in  their  form  and  in  their  leaves, 
though  they  differ  in  the  number  and  size  of  their  leaflets.  To 
these  sources  of  confusion  must  be  added  another  in  the  fruit, 
which  is  often  so  various  in  its  appearance  that  it  is  easy  to 
mistake  the  species  to  which  it  belongs.  It  is  not,  then,  on  the 
most  remarkable  difflu'cnces  alone  that  our  distinctions  must  be 
founded;  recourse  must  also  be  had  to  an  examination  of  the 
shoots  of  the  preceding  year,  of  the  buds,  and  of  the  aments. 
It  was  only  by  constant  observation  in  the  forests  of  tlie  country, 
pursued  tlirough  the  course  of  a  summer,  that  I  l)ecame  al)le 
readily  to  distinguish  between  mere  varieties  and  species.  M. 
Delille,  of  the  Institute  of  Egypt,  who  was  at  tbat  time  in  the 
United  States,  took  an  active  part  in  my  researches,  and  resorted 
with  me  daily  to  the  woods.  Our  investigaticms,  I  flatter  my- 
self, have  had  the  result  which  may  always  be  hoped  for  from 
unwearied  perseverance. 


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94 


WALNUTS. 


From  the  considerations  alleged,  and  principally  from  the 
striking  resemblance  of  their  wood,  I  have  thought  proper,  in 
describing  the  species  of  Hickory,  to  speak  but  summarily  of 
their  respective  properties,  and  to  treat  of  this  part  of  the  sub- 
ject collectively  and  comparatively  more  at  large,  in  a  separate 
article  which  will  complete  their  history. 

[For  additional  information  on  the  Walnuts,  see  Nuttall's 
Supplement,  vol.  i.  p.  39. 

The  genus  Carya  has  been  separated  from  Juglans  by  Nuttall 
chiefly  on  account  of  a  technical  distinction  in  the  fruit. 

Propagation,  cfcc  The  species  is  propagated  by  the  nut; 
which,  when  the  tree  is  to  be  grown  chiefly  for  its  timber,  is  best 
sown  where  it  is  finally  to  remain,  on  account  of  the  taproot, 
which  will  thus  have  its  full  influence  on  the  vigor  and  prosperity 
of  the  tree.  In  soils  on  moist  or  otherwise  unfavorable  sub- 
soils, if  sown  where  it  is  not  finally  to  remain,  a  tile,  slate,  or 
flat  stone  should  be  placed  under  the  nut  at  the  depth  of  three 
or  four  inches,  to  give  the  taproot  a  horizontal  direction ;  or,  if 
this  precaution  is  neglected,  the  taproot  may  be  cut  through 
with  a  spade  six  or  eight  inches  below  the  nut.  In  a  dry  or 
rocky  subsoil,  or  among  rocks,  no  precaution  of  this  kind  is 
necessary.  The  varieties  may  be  propagated  l)y  l)ud(ling,  graft- 
ing, in-arching,  or  layering,  and,  possibly,  by  cuttings  of  the 
root. 

The  nuts  may  be  sown  as  soon  as  gathered  if  there  is  no 
danger  from  vermin  ;  but.  if  tbere  is,  defer  sowing  till  Februar}'. 
The  most  convenient  mode  is  to  deposit  the  seed  in  drills  two 
feet  ai)art  from  each  other,  placing  the  seeds  at  from  three  to 
bIx  inclicB  opart  in  the  drills.  If  germinated  in  a  heap  before 
sowing,  the  points  of  the  taproot  nuiy  be  pinched  ofl'  before 
planting.  Whether  sown  in  drills  or  broadcast,  almost  the 
only  attention  retpiired  In  their  culture  while  in  the  nursery  ia 
to  shorten  once  a  year  the  tap  or  main  root,  in  order  to  induce 


\V  A  L  N  U  T  S. 


05 


them  to  throw  out  fibres,  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  tlioir 
transplantation,  which,  if  performed  in  the  autumn,  should  be 
followed  in  tlie  spring,  before  the  sap  begins  to  rise,  by  cutting 
the  head  of  the  tree  entirely  off,  leaving  only  a  main  stem  ter- 
minating in  the  stumps  of  the  princii)al  branches.  The  wounds 
of  these  stumps  are  carefully  covered  with  plaster  composed  of 
loam  and  cowdung,  or  grafting-chi}-,  secured  from  the  weather 
by  straw  and  cords.  Trees  thus  treated  push  out  shoots  of 
great  vigor  the  first  year,  and,  these  being  tliinned  out  or  rubbed 
off,  the  remainder  soon  form  a  head. 

Soil  and  situation.  The  "Walnuts  attain  the  largest  size  in  a 
deep  loamy  soil,  dry  rather  than  moist;  but  the  fruit  has  the 
l)est  flavcr,  and  produces  most  oil,  when  the  tree  is  grown  in 
calcareous  soils  or  among  calcareous  rocks :  in  a  wet-bottomed 
soil  it  will  not  thrive.  The  Walnut  is  not  a  social  tree,  and 
neither  produces  good  timber  nor  fruit  when  planted  in  masses. 
The  Walnut  is  generally  considered  injurious  by  its  shade  both 
to  man  and  plants. 

Hickories  i)lanted  in  masses  should  be  thinned  when  tlie 
plants  have  attained  the  height  f)f  from  five  to  eight  feet,  the 
larger  trees  being  left  for  tifnljer.  for  ornament,  or  for  fruit. 
Managed  in  this  way,  and  gradually  exposed  to  the  action  of 
the  sun  and  air,  they  will  have  their  peculiar  l)eauties  developed 
in  the  fullest  manner.  Tlie  wood  which  has  grown  most  rapidly 
is  the  most  valuable,  having  least  of  the  heart-wood.  The 
ashes  of  the  Hickories  abound  in  alkali,  and  are  ccmsidered 
better  for  the  ])urpose  of  making  soap  than  any  other  of  the 
native  woods,  being  next  to  those  of  the  Apple-tree.  The  Shell- 
bark  prows  best  on  the  border  of  cultivated  land,  or  on  the  edge 
of  a  forest.  Some  of  our  gardeners  have  paid  attention  to  pro- 
ctiring  the  ])est  nuts  for  cultivation,  and  the  ''true  thin-shelled" 
may  now  be  ])urchased  from  the  nurseries;  the  nuts,  however, 
will  differ  in  different  soils  and  situations,  and  even  on  indi- 
vidual trees  growing  in  innnediatc;  i)roximity.] 


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METHODICAL  DISPOSITION 


WALNUTS 


or 


NORTH  AMERICA. 


Mcmecia  i^olyandria.  Linn.     TerebintJiacece.  Juss. 

First  Section. 
Simple  aments.    {PL  29  and  30.) 


VEGETATION   RAPID. 


1.  Common  European  Walnut 

2.  Black  Walnut    .... 

3.  Butternut 


JugJans  rerjla. 
JiKjlmw  nigra. 
Juglans  cathartun. 


Second  Section. 


HICKORIES. 

Compound  aments,  each  j>eduncle  bearing  three.     {Pl.86,  fig.  3.) 
VEGETATION    SLOW. 

4.  Pecannut  Hickory       .     .  Juglans  (Cdn/a)  oliro'formia. 

5.  Bitternut  Hickory    .     .  Juglans  [Cdnja)  amara. 

6.  Water  Bitternut  Hickory  J^iglans  [Cdrya)  aquafica. 

7.  Mockcnuit  Hickory      .  Juglans  (Cdri/a)  i(nncntosa, 

8.  Shellbark  Hickory     .     .  Juglans  [Cdrya]  squamosa. 

9.  Thick  Shellbark  Hickory  Juglans  [Cdrga]  lacintosa. 

10.  Pignut  Hickory     .     .     .     Juglans  [Cdrya)  pordna. 

11.  Nutmeg  Hickory     .     .       Juglans  [Cdrya)  myristiva>formi8. 

98 


COMMON    EUROPEAN   WALNUT. 


JuQLAXS  REGiA.     J.  foliolts  subscjitcnis,  ovalibus,  (jlahm,  subscrratis,  sub- 
aqualibus :  j'rudibus  subomllbus. 

The  Walnut  which  foi'  severul  centiu'ies  has  been  cultivated 
in  Europe  is  a  native  of  Asia.  According  to  an  ancient  but 
uncertain  tradition,  its  fruit  was  brought  from  Persia  with  the 
Poach  and  the  Apricot.  My  father,  who,  in  the  years  1782,  '83, 
and  '84,  visited  that  part  of  the  East  to  examine  its  natural 
productions,  first  ascertained  wath  exactness  the  origin  of  this 
tree :  he  found  it,  in  the  natural  state,  in  the  province  of  Ghilan, 
which  lies  on  the  Caspian  Sea,  between  the  35th  and  40th 
degrees  of  latitude. 

The  period  of  its  introduction  into  Europe — a  point  on  which 
ancient  authors  leave  us  in  obscurity — is  proved  to  be  remote 
by  several  rites  in  use  among  the  Romans ;  such,  for  instance, 
as  the  distribution  of  nuts  in  the  Cercalia.  In  the  village 
festival  of  the  Rosiere,  instituted  by  St.  Medard,  at  Salency, 
Department  of  the  Oise,  twelve  hundred  years  ago,  it  is  directed 
that  an  oiFering  composed  of  nuts  and  other  fruits  of  the  country 
shall  be  presented  to  tlie  young  muid  who  is  crowned;  which 
proves  the  tree  to  have  been  already  naturalized  in  that  part  of 
France. 

The  Walnut  is  common  throughout  the  centre  of  EiU'opo; 
but  it  flourishes  most  in  the  western  and  southern  departments 
of  France,  in  Spain  and  in  Italy,  wliic']i  approach  nearest  to  the 
latitude  in  which  it  grows  naturally.  In  France  it  is  only  in 
the  west  and  south,  whore  the  vegetaticm  of  the  Walnut  is  per- 
fectly secure  from  frost,  that  its  wood  is  of  a  superior  (piality, 
and  that  its  fruit  is  regularly  yielded  in  suflicient  abundance 
to  become  an  article  of  commerce. 

The  European  Walnut  is  one  of  the  tallest  and  most  bi'auti- 
voi,.  1-7  07 


98 


COMMON    EUROPEAN    WALNUT. 


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ful  among  fruit-trees,  and  one  of  the  most  remarkable  for  the 
amplitude  of  its  summit  and  the  thickness  of  its  shade.  On 
the  trunk  of  old  trees,  which  frequently  are  several  feet  in  diii- 
meter,  the  bark  is  thick  and  deeply  furrowed;  on  the  upper 
branches  it  is  gray  and  smooth,  a  good  deal  resembling  that  of 
the  Butternut.  The  leaves  are  borne  by  long  petioles,  and  are 
composed  of  two,  three,  and  sometimes  four  pair  of  leaflets, 
surmounted  by  an  odd  one.  The  leaflets  are  oval  and  smooth ; 
when  bruised,  they  exhale  a  strong  aromatic  odor.  In  the  ex- 
treme heat  of  summer,  the  emanations  from  the  Walnut  are  so 
powerful  as  to  produce  unpleasant  effects  upon  some  persons  if 
they  slumber  in  its  shade. 

The  flowers  of  the  Common  European  Walnut,  like  those  of 
the  Black  Walnut  and  Butternut,  appear  before  the  unfolding 
of  the  leaves ;  the  barren  ones  in  single,  pendulous,  imbricated 
aments,  the  fertile  ones  on  separate  branches,  at  the  end  of  the 
young  shoots,  and  commonly  in  pairs.  The  fruit  is  green  and 
oval,  and  in  the  natural  state  contains  a  small  hard  nut.  In 
the  most  esteemed  cultivated  species,  the  fruit  is  oval  and 
strongly  odoriferous,  about  an  inch  and  two-thirds  long  and 
from  an  inch  and  a  quarter  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter. 
Tlie  nut  occupies  two-thirds  of  its  volume. 

Toward  autunni  the  husk  softens,  and,  decaying  from  about 
the  nut,  allows  it  to  fall.  The  shell  is  slightly  channelled,  and 
so  thin  as  to  be  easily  crushed  by  the  fingers.  The  kernel  is 
of  a  very  agreeable  taste :  it  is  large,  covered  with  a  fine 
pelli(;le,  and  sei)arated  by  a  thin  partition,  which  may  readily 
be  detached  both  from  the  shell  and  from  the  kernel. 

The  nuts  are  better-tasted  and  easier  of  digestion  soon  after 
their  maturity  than  later  in  the  season,  when  the  oily  principle 
becomes  perfectly  formed;  they  are  then  oppi'essive,  if  immo- 
derately eaten. 

A  dessert  of  an  excellent  relish  is  made  by  extracting  the 
kernels  a  fortnight  before  they  are  ripe,  and  seasoning  them 


COMMON    EUROPEAN    WALNUT. 


99 


with  the  juice  of  green  gi-apes  and  salt.  They  should  be  thrown 
into  water  as  soon  as  they  are  taken  from  the  shell,  and  allowed 
to  remain  till  the  moment  when  they  are  seasoned  to  be  set 
upon  the  table.  They  are  sold  in  Paris  by  the  name  of  Cer- 
neaux;  and  a  greater  quantity  of  walnuts  is  consumed  in  this 
way  by  people  in  easy  circumstances  than  after  they  are  per- 
fectly ripe :  the  use  of  them  is  then  almost  exclusively  confined 
to  the  lower  classes. 

The  Common  Walnut  is  more  multiplied  in  the  departments 
of  France  which  lie  between  the  45tli  and  the  48th  degrees  of 
latitude  than  in  any  other  part  of  Europe.  In  these  depart- 
ments it  is  planted  in  the  midst  of  cultivated  fields,  like  the 
Apple-tree  for  cider  in  those  of  the  north  and  the  centre :  the 
fruit,  the  oil,  and  the  wood,  may  be  considered  as  forming  one 
of  their  principal  branches  of  commerce. 

In  extracting  the  oil  of  Walnuts,  certain  delicate  attentions 
are  necessary  to  insure  its  fineness.  When  the  fruit  is  gathered 
and  the  nuts  are  separated  from  the  husks,  they  should  be  kept 
dry  and  occasionally  moved  till  they  are  used.  The  proper  time 
for  the  operation  is  at  the  close  of  winter,  as  in  this  interval 
the  change  by  which  the  mucilage  of  the  fruit  is  converted  into 
oil  has  become  completely  effected,  and  by  longer  delay  the 
kernel  gi'ows  rancid  and  the  oil  is  of  a  vitiated  quality.  The 
nut  is  cracked  by  striking  it  on  the  end  with  a  small  mallet,  and 
pains  are  taken  not  to  bruise  the  kernel.  The  slight  ligneous 
parti ti(m  is  detached,  and  such  kernels  as  are  partially  spoiled 
are  selected  and  thrown  aside.  The  sound  kernels,  thus  cleared 
from  every  particle  of  the  shell,  should  be  sent  immediately  to 
tlie  mill,  as  they  soon  become  rancid  by  exposure  to  the  air. 
They  are  crushed  by  a  vertical  stone,  which  turns  in  a  circular 
trough,  and  is  moved  by  a  horse  or  by  a  current  of  water.  The 
paste  is  next  enclosed  in  bags  of  strong  linen  and  submitted  to 
tlio  press.  The  oil  which  flows  under  this  first  pressure  without 
the  application  of  heat  is  of  the  best  quality.     It  is  very  clear, 


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100 


COMMON     EUROPEAN    WALNUT. 


and  is  proper  for  food ;  but  it  sensibly  retains  the  taste  of  the 
nut,  "vvhich  in  general  is  not  agreeable  to  persons  unaccustomed 
to  it,  so  that  the  consumption  is  limited  to  the  departments 
where  it  is  made.  To  be  kept  sweet  for  the  table,  it  should  be 
drawn  off  several  times  during  the  first  months,  carefully 
corked,  and  stored  in  the  cellar,  as  it  is  more  easily  afiected 
than  an}'  other  oil  by  the  action  of  air  and  heat. 

After  the  first  expression,  the  paste  is  emptied  from  the  sacks, 
moistened  with  warm  water,  and  moderately  heated  in  coppers. 
It  is  then  replaced  in  the  sacks  and  returned  to  the  pi'ess.  The 
oil  of  the  second  discharge  is  highly  colored,  and  very  speedily 
becomes  rancid;  it  is  therefore  employed  only  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  colors.  The  cakes  which  remain  after  the  expression  is 
finished  are  used  for  fattening  fowls. 

Although  nut-oil,  as  an  article  of  diet,  is  in  general  use  in  the 
departments  where  the  tree  abounds,  it  serves  a  still  more  im- 
portant pui'pose  in  the  preparation  of  fine  colors.  It  is  preferred 
on  account  of  the  complete  and  rapid  manner  in  which  it  dries, 
and  of  the  facility  of  obtaining  it  perfectly  limpid,  which  is  done 
by  diffiising  it  upon  water  in  large  shallow  vases. 

In  copper-plate  printing,  walnut-oil  is  considered,  in  Paris, 
indispensably  neccssarj'  for  a  fine  impression  in  black  or  in 
colors.  But  there  are  peculiar  modes  of  preparing  it  for  the 
several  colors  with  which  it  is  to  ])e  mixed.  Thus,  for  white, 
blue,  light  green,  and  the  intermediate  shades,  it  is  reduced  l>y 
boiling  to  two-thirds  of  its  Ijulk ;  but,  for  dark  green  and  black, 
to  one-fifth,  which  leaves  it  a  thick,  semifluid  sul)stance.  To 
facilitate  the  process,  one-tenth  part  of  linseed-oil  is  added  to  it; 
it  is  then  placed,  in  an  iron  or  copper  vessel,  over  an  active, 
clear  fire.  Wlien  it  Ijegins  to  boil  rapidly,  the  vessel  is  unco- 
vered, and  the  oil  takes  fire  by  contact  with  the  flame  and  burns 
till  it  is  reduced  to  the  proper  consistency:  sometimes  it  is  not 
allowed  to  kindle,  but,  when  the  ebullition  commences,  crusts 
.)f  bread  are  thrown   into  it,  which  remain  till  the  necessary 


locessarv 


COMMON    EUROTEAN     WALNUT. 


101 


evaporation  is  effected,  and  are  then  taken  out,  charged  with 
mucilaginous  particles.  The  principal  advantage  of  this  oil,  in 
the  preparation  of  white  lead  for  painting  the  interior  of  houses, 
as  well  as  of  the  colors  employed  in  copper-plate  printing,  is  the 
longer  and  more  perfect  preservation  of  the  tints.  The  backs  of 
prints  done  with  it  do  not  turn  yellow  like  otliers. 

A  fine  stomachic  liquor  is  made  with  the  fruit  of  the  Walnut 
gathered  a  month  before  its  maturity.  Twelve  green  nuts  in 
the  husk  are  bruised  and  thrown  into  a  pint  of  good  brandy ; 
after  they  have  steeped  three  weeks,  the  l^rand}-  is  filtered 
through  brown  paper,  and  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  loaf-sugar  is 
added.     This  cordial  improves  by  age. 

Dyers  obtain,  by  boiling  the  husks  when  they  begin  to  decaj-, 
and  the  bark  of  the  roots,  a  substantial  dark  brown  with  which 
they  dye  woollens.  Cabinet-makers  also  make  use  of  it  in 
staining  other  pieces  of  wood  in  imitation  of  Walnut. 

Among  the  American  Walnuts  which  are  found  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  the  Black  AValnut  bears  the  greatest  resemblance  to 
the  European  Walnut  in  its  general  appearance,  in  its  flowers 
and  fruit,  and  in  the  qualities  of  its  wood  :  in  foliiige  they  are 
strikingly  different.  The  wood  of  the  European  Walnut  is 
infei'ior  in  strength  and  weight,  and,  1  believe,  far  more  liable 
to  injury  from  worms. 

Twenty  or  thirty  years  ago,  before  Mahogany  was  imported 
in  such  abundance  into  Europe,  Walnut  wood  wns  employed 
almost  exclusively  in  cabinet-making.  In  tlie  country  it  is  still 
in  general  use,  and  the  furniture  made  of  it  is  far  from  being 
inelegant,  especially  pieces  obtained  from  such  old  trees  as  bear 
small  and  thick-shelled  nuts.  It  is  preferred  for  the  stocks  of 
muskets;  and  in  Paris  and  Brussels  no  other  wood  is  used  for 
the  panels  of  carriages.  The  old  trees  furnish  excellent  screws 
for  large  presses.  Great  quantities  of  wooden  shoes  are  manu- 
factured of  Walnut,  which  are  more  highly  esteemed  than  others. 

The  wood  of  the  Enropciin  Walnut  is  largely  exported  from 


ir^ 


"I 


nil 


'ii     iiiii 


'i-:^r^ii.|!!  . 


■'ill'  '^'/! 
III'  P"' 


!!|l 


I  r 


Ml 


i' 


ill 


i|!i 


102 


COMMON  EUROPEAN  WALNUT. 


the  south  of  Franco  to  the  north  and  to  Holhind  and  Germany: 
formerly  it  was  carried  to  Enghand. 

Like  other  fruit-trees,  whose  perfection  is  among  the  "  noblest 
conquests  of  industrious  man,"  the  Walnut  has  been  greatly 
improved  by  long  and  careful  cultivation.  There  are  seven  or 
eight  cultivated  vai'ieties,  whose  superiority  is  principally  ap- 
parent in  the  augmented  size  of  the  fruit  and  in  the  diminished 
thickness  of  the  shell.  Of  these  the  most  esteemed,  after  that 
which  I  have  described,  are  the  St.  Jean  and  the  JaiKjc  Wal- 
nuts. The  St.  John  Walnut  is  a  variety  obtained  within  a 
few  years.  It  yields  fruit  as  large  and  as  abundant  as  the  com- 
mon Walnut,  and  for  that  part  of  Europe  which  lies  beyond  the 
45th  degree  of  latitude  it  possesses  an  advantage  in  opening  its 
vegetation  three  weeks  later  and  in  being  thus  secure  from  the 
injuries  of  frost.  The  Jauge  Walnut  is  chiefly  remarkable  for 
the  size  of  its  fruit,  which  is  twice  as  large  as  the  variety  repre- 
sented in  the  plate.  It  is  unproductive,  and  the  kernel  does 
not  fill  the  shell.  The  Jauge  nut  is  made  into  cases  by  jewellers, 
and  furnished  with  trinkets,  for  the  amusement  of  children. 

The  Avood  of  the  Black  Walnut  is  already  superior  to  that  of 
the  European  Walnut;  and  it  will  acquire  a  still  finer' grain 
when  it  is  raised  on  lands  that  have  been  long  under  cultiva- 
tion. It  is  solely  for  the  excellency  of  its  fruit  and  the  decided 
superiority  of  its  oil  in  the  preparation  of  colors,  that  the  Euro- 
])ean  Walnut  should  be  warmly  recommended  to  the  attention 
of  Americans.  It  would  thrive  better  than  elsewhere  in  places 
where  the  Black  Walnut  naturally  abounds. 

In  some  parts  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  the  Black  Wal- 
nuts have  been  preserved  in  clearing  the  lands.  Great  advan- 
tage would  be  found  in  grafting  them  with  the  European  Wal- 
nut. The  limbs  should  be  cut  fifteen  inches  from  the  trunk, 
and  from  the  stumps  will  spring  vigorous  shoots,  which,  the 
second  year,  may  be  grafted  by  inoculation.  Fifty  or  sixty  buds 
should  be  set  upon  each  tree,  as  is  practised  near  Lyons,  where 


COMMON  EUROPEAN  WALNUT. 


103 


it  is  found  that,  by  iuHcrting  the  Wahuit  of  St.  John  on  the  com- 
mon Walnut,  the  fruit  is  rendered  finer  and  the  crop  more  cer- 
tain. Black  Walnuts  thus  grafted  begin  to  bear  the  fifth  year. 
On  estates  where  no  Black  Walnut  exist,  the  deficienc}'  may  be 
supplied  by  planting  the  nuts  and  grafting  the  young  stocks 
when  they  come  to  the  height  of  eight  or  ten  feet. 

It  should  be  observed,  that  in  the  Walnut,  more  than  any 
other  tree,  it  is  necessary,  on  account  of  the  loose  texture  of  the 
wood  and  the  large  volume  of  the  pith,  to  protect  the  amputated 
limbs  from  the  weather.  A  covering  of  clay  should  be  so  nicely 
adapted  to  the  exposed  siu'face  as  entirely  to  exclude  the  rain; 
otherwise,  decay  will  commence  and  spread  itself  into  the  body 
of  the  tree. 

In  those  parts  of  France,  Belgium,  and  Germany,  where  the 
Walnut  is  not  cultivated  for  commerce,  the  trees  have  generally 
sprung  from  the  seed,  which  is  the  cause  of  the  inferiority  of 
their  fruit.  For  it  is  observed  that,  with  a  few  accidental  ex- 
ceptions, the  finest  fruits  and  llowers  degenerate  in  reproduction. 
This  inconvenience  would  be  experienced  in  the  United  States; 
and,  as  there  do  not  perhaps  exist  in  that  country,  south  of  the 
Hudson  River,  ten  European  Walnut-trees,'^'  I  should  recommend 
the  importation  from  Bordeaux  of  young  grafted  trees,  which 
will  soon  furnish  the  means  to  such  proprietors  as  wish  to  enrich 
their  estates  with  this  useful  and  magnificent  tree. 

PLATE  XXIX. 

Fig.  1.  A  leaf  of  half  the  natural  size.  Fig.  2.  Barren  flowers.  Fig.  3. 
Fertile  flowers.  Fig.  4.  A  nut  in  its  husk  of  the  natural  size.  Fig.  5. 
A  nut  without  its  husk.  Fig.  G.  A  nut  deprived  of  half  the  shell,  to  show 
the  kernel. 


*  [Since  this  was  written,  the  European  Walnut  has  been  extensively  introduced 
in  America,  but  as  far  north  as  IMiiladolphia  it  does  not  produce  fruit  abundantly 
except  in  sheltered  situations  or  when  surrounded  by  hard  surface-ground.] 


BLACK  WALNUT. 


!"  i'M 


I'll; 


H:i  .:ii 


■|i!l!l 


\M' 


JuGLAXs   NKiiiA.     ,/.  foUoUs  q)ii)i(fi'nls,  siibcordntis,  snpcriih  anffuntad.i, 
serralis;  fvudti  f/lohoso,  pioicldto,  scdbriuscido  ;  nucc  corriifjatii. 

Tins  tree  is  known  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  where  it 
grows,  and  to  the  French  of  Upper  and  Lower  Lonisiana,  by  no 
other  name  than  Black  Walnut.  East  of  tlu>  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains, the  most  northern  point  at  which  it  appears  is  about 
Goshen  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  in  the  latitude  of  40°  50'.''' 
West  of  the  mountains  it  exists  almndantly  two  degrees  farther 
north,  in  that  portion  of  Genesee  which  is  comprised  between 
the  77th  and  79th  degrees  of  longitude.  This  observation,  as  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  remark,  is  applicable  to  several  other 
vegetables  the  northern  limit  of  whose  appearance  varies  with 
the  climate;  and  this  becomes  milder  in  advancing  toward  the 
west.  The  Black  Walnut  is  multiplied  in  the  forests  about 
Philadelphia;  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  lower  parts  of  the 
Southern  States,  where  the  soil  is  too  sandy,  or  too  wet,  as  in 
the  swamps,  it  is  met  with  to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi, 
throughout  an  extent  of  two  thousand  miles.  P]ast  of  the  Alle- 
ghany Mountains  in  Virginia,  and  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
Carolinas  and  of  Georgia,  it  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  valleys 
•where  the  soil  is  deep  and  fertile,  and  which  are  watered  by 
creeks  and  rivers:  in  the  western  country,  in  Genesee,  and  in 
the  States  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  where  the  soil  in  general  is 
very  rich,  it  grows  in  the  forests,  with  the  CofFee-tree,  Honey 
Locust,  Red  Mulberry,  Locust  Shellbark  Hickory,  Black  Sugar 
Maple,  Hack  Berry,  and  Red  Elm: — all  which  trees  prove  the 
goodness  of  the  soil  in  which  they  are  found. 

It  is  in  these  countries  that  the  Black  Walnut  displays  its 


'  ancjuntaUfi, 
iir/atil. 

s  where  it 
ana,  by  no 
imy  Moun- 
s  is  about 
.1'  40°  50'.='= 
COS  farther 
id  between 
I'ation,  as  I 
>'er.al  other 
varies  with 
toward  the 
rests  about 
)arts  of  the 
I  wet,  as  in 
Mississippi, 
of  the  AUe- 
[)art  of  the 
the  valleys 
watered  by 
jsce,  and  in 
1  general  is 
tree.  Honey 
[Jlack  Sugar 
IS  prove  the 


displays  its 


ii      I 


|l":l' 


I  I    ,        'I'l' 


f     ll'i 


IU.uk  W.ilinil 


mi. 


'I  il 


BLACK    WALNUT. 


105 


full  proportions.  On  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  on  the  ishinds 
of  that  beautiful  river,  I  have  often  seen  trees  of  three  or  four 
feet  in  diameter  and  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  height.  It  is  not 
rare  to  find  them  of  the  thickness  of  six  or  seven  feet.  Its 
powerful  vegetation  clearly  points  out  this  as  one  of  the  largest 
trees  of  America.  When  it  stands  insulated,  its  branches,  ex- 
tending themselves  horizontally  to  a  great  distance,  spread  into 
a  spacious  head,  which  gives  it  a  very  majestic  appearance. 

The  leaves  of  the  Bhick  Walnut  when  bruised  emit  a  strong 
aromatic  odor.  They  are  about  eighteen  inches  in  length, 
pinnate,  and  composoil  in  general  of  six,  seven,  or  eight  pair  of 
leaflets  surmounted  by  an  odd  one.  The  leaflets  are  opposite 
and  fixed  on  short  petioles;  they  are  acuminate,  serrate,  and 
somewhat  downy.  The  Ijarren  flowers  are  disposed  in  pendulous 
and  cylindrical  aments,  of  which  the  peduncles  are  simple,  un- 
like those  of  the  Hickories,  (PI.  30,  fig.  1.)  Tlie  fruit  is  round, 
odoriferous,  of  rather  an  uneven  surface,  and  always  appears  at 
the  extremity  of  the  branches :  on  young  and  vigorous  trees  it 
is  sometimes  seven  or  eight  inches  in  circumference.  The  luisk 
is  thick,  and  is  not,  as  in  tiie  Hickories,  divided  into  sections, 
but  when  ripe  it  softens  and  gradually  decays.  The  nut  is  hard, 
somewliat  compressed  at  the  sides,  and  sulcated.  The  kernel, 
wliich  is  divided  by  firm  ligneous  partitions,  is  of  a  sweet  and 
agreeable  taste,  though  inferior  to  that  of  the  European  Walnut. 
These  nuts  are  sold  in  the  markets  of  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
and  Baltimore,  and  served  upon  the  tables.  The  si/.e  of  the 
fruit  varies  considerably,  and  depends  upon  the  vigor  of  the  tree 
and  uptm  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  of  tlie  diniate.  On  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  in  Kentuekv,  tlu'  fruit  with  the  husk  is 
seven  or  eight  iiu-bes  in  compass,  with  the  nut  proportionally 
large:  in  Oenesee,  on  the  contrary,  where  the  cold  is  intense, 
and  in  fields  exhausted  by  cultivation,  wlu're  these  trees  have 
been  ])reserved  since  the  first  clearing  of  the  land,  it  is  not  of 
more  than  half  this  vobnne.     Some  variations  ar»'  observed  in 

I.— T* 


l|<! 


!      "' 


106 


BLACK     WALNUT. 


i  i^  :i: 


«>■■■ 


iliJ: 


I » I]      I 


the  form  of  the  fruit  and  in  the  moulding  of  the  shell;  but 
these  I  consider  as  merel}^  accidental  differences.  Indeed,  there 
is  no  genus  of  trees  in  America  in  which  the  fruit  of  a  given 
species  exhibits  such  various  forms  as  in  the  Walnut;  and 
doubtless  this  circumstance  has  misled  observers,  who,  being 
ac(juainted  only  with  the  small  number  of  trees  existing  in 
European  gardens,  have  described  them  as  distinct  species. 

The  bark  of  the  Black  Walnut  is  thick,  blackish,  and,  on  old 
trees,  deeply  furrowed.  When  the  timber  is  freshly  cut,  the  sap 
is  white  and  the  heart  of  a  violet-color,  which  after  a  short  ex- 
posure to  the  air  assumes  an  intenser  shade  and  becomes  nearly 
black;  hence  probaljly  is  derived  the  name  of  Black  Walnut. 
There  are  several  qualities  for  which  its  wood  is  principally 
esteemed.  It  remains  sound  during  a  long  time,  even  when  ex- 
posed to  the  inlluences  of  heat  and  moisture :  but  this  observa- 
tion is  applicable  only  to  the  heart;  the  sap  speedily  decays. 
It  is  very  strong  and  very  tenacious;  when  thoroughly  seasoned, 
it  is  not  liable  to  Avarp  and  split;  and  its  grain  is  sufficiently 
fine  and  compact  to  admit  of  a  beautiful  polish.  It  possesses, 
in  addition  to  these  advantages,  that  of  l)eing  secure  from 
worms.  On  account  of  these  excellencies,  it  is  preferred  and 
successfully  enrployed  in  many  kinds  of  woi'k.  East  of  the 
Allejihanies,  its  timjjer  is  not  extensivelv  used  in  buildinn' 
houses;  but  in  some  pai'ts  of  Kentucky  mid  Ohio  it  is  s[)lit  into 
shingles  eigliteen  inches  long  and  from  four  to  six  inches  wide, 
which  serve  to  cover  tlu-m :  sonu'times  also  this  tind)er  enters 
into  the  comjiosition  of  the  ir;uue.  Ihit  it  is  chielly  in  cabiiiet- 
nudiingthat  the  Black  Walnut  isemi)l(tyi'd  where Vi'r  it  abounds. 
By  selecting  pieces  from  the  upper  part  of  the  trunk,  inuiie- 
diatcly  I)elow  the  fu'st  ramilit'iitiou.  luniiture  is  sometimes  niiule 
wiiich  from  the  accidental  curlings  of  the  grain  is  highly  beaii- 
tiful;  but,  as  its  color  soon  changes  to  a  dusky  hue,  the  Wild 
(Mierry  wood  is  fre(|uently  preferred  for  this  use.  The  Black 
Wahiut  is  also  employed  lor  nuisket-stocks;  it  is  stronger  and 


BLACK     W  A  L  N  U  T. 


107 


tougher  than  the  Red-flowering  Maple,  which,  from  its  superior 
lightness  and  elegance,  is  chosen  for  fowling-pieces.  In  Virginia 
posts  are  very  commonly  made  of  Black  Walnut;  and,  as  it 
lasts  undecayed  in  the  ground  froni  twenty  to  twenty-five  years, 
it  appears  everyway  fit  for  this  purpose.  I  have  been  assured 
that  it  makes  excellent  naves  for  wheels,  which  further  proves 
its  strength  and  durability.  At  Philadelphia  coffins  are  very 
frequently  made  of  it. 

The  timber  of  this  tree  is  also  excellently  adapted  to  certain 
uses  in  naval  architecture.  It  should  never  be  wrought  till  it 
is  perfectly  seasoned,  after  which  it  is  asserted  to  be  more 
durable,  though  more  brittle,  than  the  White  Oak.  Breckel,  in 
his  "History  of  North  Carolina,"  affirms  that  it  is  not  liable, 
like  the  Oak,  to  be  attacked  by  sea-worms  in  warm  latitudes. 
This  advantage,  if  it  is  real,  is  highly  important,  and  deserves 
to  be  ascertained  by  further  observation.  In  the  marine  lumber- 
yards of  Philadelphia  I  have  often  seen  it  used  for  knees  and 
floor-timber;  but  in  the  vessels  built  at  Wheeling  and  Marietta, 
towns  on  the  Ohio,  it  constitutes  a  princii)al  part  of  the  frame. 
On  the  river  Wabash  canoes  are  made  of  it  which  are  greatly 
esteemed  for  strength  and  dural)ility.  Hemic  of  them,  fashioned 
from  the  trunk  of  a  single  tree,  are  more  than  forty  feet  long 
and  two  or  three  feet  wide. 

The  Black  Walnut  is  expoi'ted  in  small  quantities  to  England 
in  planks  of  two  inches  in  thickness,  which  are  sold  at  Phihi- 
delphia  at  four  cents  a  foot.''' 

The  husk  of  the  fruit  yields  a  color  similar  to  that  which  is 


>'l'l  :! 


*  [The  (k'inand  for  Walnut  wood  in  the  Atlantic  cities,  and  tlio  want  of  atten- 
tion to  its  cultivation,  have  since  made  it  necessary  for  the  cal)inet-niakers,  &c.  to 
import  from  tlie  West  the  irrenter  portion  of  tlioir  supplies.  This  resource  nmst 
f.iil  in  time,  and  the  wood  may  not  iniprohahly  become  nearly  as  costly  aa 
Mahogany,  which  it  resembles  in  many  of  its  properties.] 


108 


BLACK    WALNUT. 


!■      '    :    I 


■i  , 


I      I 


obtained  from  the  European  Walnut.  It  is  used  in  the  country 
for  dyeing  woollen  stuffs. 

This  tree  has  long  since  been  introduced,  in  England  and 
France,  into  the  gardens  of  the  lovers  of  foreign  culture.  It 
succeeds  perfectly,  and  yields  fruit  abundantly.  Though  differ- 
ing widely  from  the  European  species,  it  bears  a  nearer  re- 
semblance to  it  than  any  other  American  Walnut.  By  com- 
paring the  two  species  as  to  their  utility  in  the  arts  and  in  com- 
merce, it  will  appear  that  the  wood  of  the  Black  Walnut  is 
more  compact,  heavier,  and  much  stronger;  that  it  is  susceptible 
of  a  finer  polish,  and  that  it  is  not  injured  by  worms, — qualities 
which,  as  has  been  seen,  render  it  fit  not  only  for  the  same  uses 
with  ours,  but  also  for  the  larger  works  of  architecture.  These 
considerations  sufficiently  evince  that  it  is  a  valuable  tree,  and 
that  it  is  with  great  reason  that  many  proprietors  in  America 
have  spared  it  in  clearing  their  new  lands.  On  highroads,  I 
am  of  opinion  that  it  might  be  chosen  to  succeed  the  Elm; 
for  experience  has  proved  that,  to  insure  success  in  the  continued 
cultivation  of  trees  or  herbaceous  plants  on  the  same  soil,  the 
practice  must  be  varied  with  species  of  different  genera. 

Nuts  of  the  European  Walnut  and  of  the  Black  Walnut  have 
been  planted  at  the  same  time  in  the  same  soil:  those  of  the 
Black  Walnut  are  observed  to  shoot  more  vigorously,  and  to  grow 
in  a  given  time  to  a  greater  height.  By  grafting  the  Eur(»pean 
upcm  the  American  species  at  IIk;  height  of  eight  or  ten  feet, 
their  advantages,  with  respect  to  the  quality  both  of  wood  and 
of  friiit,  might  be  united. 

PLATE  XXX. 

A  leaf  of  hdJf  its  natural  size.     Fi;/.  1.  A  nut  with  its  husk.     Fif/.  2.  A  nut 
wlthoal  its  hus/i.     Fiy.  3.  A  barren  an"  7. 


I  the  country 

England  and 

culture.  It 
'hough  differ- 

a  nearer  re- 
nt. By  com- 
,s  and  in  com- 
ck  Walnut  is 

is  susceptible 
ms, — qualities 
the  same  uses 
cture.  These 
lable  tree,  and 
irs  in  America 
1  highroads,  I 
;eed  the  Elm; 
I  the  continued 

same  soil,  the 
genera. 

k  Walnut  have 
I:  those  of  the 
i\y,  and  to  grow 
g  the  Euri^pean 
■ht  or  ten  feet, 
)th  of  wood  and 


sic.    Fig.  2.  A  nut 


vi  liii 


n  '  iii:'  I'l 


Hi  ill 

i! ' 


::ii 


r   :  I 


■'  I 


il 


l>  I 


i    I 


1^ 


/•.'//.:/.',,.'.■,/.■/ 


hnllrr  \iil 


/  ■  ,'/ 


k 


s 


I  HK 


lU 


I    (I     ! 


BUTTERNUT 


JuaLANS  CATiiAUTicA.  J.  folioUs  subquimlcnis,  lanceolatis,  basi  roiandato- 
ohlasis  subtus  tomentosis,  leiiter  serratis;  fructu  oblonrjo,  ovato,  (qnee 
mammoso,  viscido,  longb  pcdunculato,  nuee  oblongd,  acuminatd,  insignilcr 
insculpti-scabrosd. 

Tins  species  of  Walnut  is  known  in  North  America  under 
different  denominations.  In  Mas.  .chusetts,  New  Hampshire, 
and  Vermont,  it  bears  the  name  of  Oihiut:  in  Pennsylvania 
and  Maryland,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  it  is  generally 
known  by  that  of  White  Walnut;  in  Connecticut,  New  York. 
New  Jersey,  Virginia,  and  in  the  mountainous  districts  of  the 
upper  parts  of  the  Carolinas,  it  is  called  Butternut.  The  last 
of  these  names  I  have  retained,  because  it  is  not  wholly  un- 
known in  those  parts  of  the  United  States  where  the  others  are 
in  general  use,  and  because  the  wood  is  employed  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  New  York  for  a  greater  variety  of  uses  than  else- 
where. I  think  also  that  the  Latin  specific  name  Cathartica, 
which  was  long  since  given  it  by  Doctor  Cutler  of  Massachusetts, 
should  be  definitively  substituted  for  that  of  Cinerea,  by  which 
it  has  hitherto  been  distinguished  among  botanists.  This  last 
appellation,  derived  from  the  color  of  the  secondary  branches, 
whose  bark  is  smooth  and  grayish,  suggests  only  an  unim- 
portant characteristic,  while  the  first  expresses  one  of  the  most 
interesting  properties  of  the  tree. 

The  Butternut  is  found  in  Upper  and  Lower  Canada,  in  the 

district  of  Maine,  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  in  the  States  of 

Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri ; 

but  I  have  never  met  with  it  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Carolinas, 

of  Georgia,  ai.d  of  East  Florida,  where  the  nature  of  the  soil 

and  the  intemperate  heat  of  the  summer  are  unfiivorable  to  its 

vegetation.     In  cold  regions,  on  the  contrary,  its  growth  is  luxu- 

109 


(  * 


III 


,1 


"li     ll!ll 


110 


B  U  T  T  E  R  N  U  T. 


riant;  for  in  the  State  of  Vermont,'"  where  the  winter  is  so  rigor- 
ous that  sledges  are  used  during  four  months  in  the  year,  this  tree 
attains  a  eircumfei'ence  of  eight  or  ten  feet.  I  have  nowhere 
seen  it  more  abundant  than  in  the  bottoms  which  border  the 
Ohio  between  Wheeling  and  Marietta;  but  the  thickness  of 
these  forests,  which  are  hardly  penetrated  by  the  sun,  appears 
to  prevent  its  utmost  expansion.  I  have  seen  here  no  trees  as 
large  as  some  in  New  Jersey,  on  the  steep  and  elevated  banks 
of  the  Hudson,  nearly  opposite  to  the  city  of  New  York.  The 
woods  in  this  place  are  thin,  and  the  soil  cold,  unproductive, 
and  interspersed  with  large  rocks,  in  the  interstices  of  which  the 
biggest  Butternuts  have  their  root.  I  have  measured  some  of 
them,  which,  at  five  feet  from  the  ground,  were  ten  or  twelve' 
feet  in  circumference,  and  which  were  fifty  feet  in  height,  with 
roots  extending  even  with  the  surface  of  the  ground,  in  a  ser- 
pentine direction  and  with  little  variation  in  size,  to  the  distance 
of  forty  feet.  The  trunk  ramifies  at  a  small  height,  and  the 
branches,  seeking  a  direction  more  horizontal  than  those  of 
other  trees,  and  spi'eading  widely,  form  a  large  and  tufted  head, 
which  gives  the  tree  a  remarkable  appearance. 

The  buds  of  the  Butternut,  like  those  of  the  Black  Walnut, 
are  uncovered.  In  the  spring  its  vegetation  is  forward,  and  its 
leaves  unfold  a  fortnight  earlier  tlian  those  of  the  Hickories. 
Each  leaf  is  composed  of  seven  or  eight  pair  of  sessile  leaHets, 
and  terminated  by  a  petiolated  odd  one.  The  leaflets  are  from 
two  to  three  inches  in  length,  lanceolate,  serrate,  and  slightly 
downy.  The  barren  flowers  stand  on  large  cylindrical  aments, 
which  are  single,  four  or  five  inches  long,  and  attached  to  the 
shoots  of  the  preceding  year;  the  fertile  flowers,  on  the  contrary, 
come  out  on  the  shoots  of  the  same  spring,  and  are  situated  at 
their  extremity.  The  ovarium  is  crowned  by  two  rose-colored 
stigmata.      The  fruit  is  cuinmonly  single,  and  suspended  by  a 


ill! 


[Ft  ooours  Id  all  the  New  England  States.     Ivmersun.] 


i 


BUTTERNUT. 


Ill 


thin,  pliable  peduncle,  about  three  inches  in  length;  its  form 
is  oblong-oval,  without  any  appearance  of  seam.  It  is  often 
two  and  a  lialf  inches  in  length  and  five  inches  in  circum- 
ference, ill  i  is  covered  with  a  vi«cid  adhesive  substance,  com- 
posed of  small  transparent  vesicles,  which  are  easily  discerned 
with  the  aid  of  a  glass.  The  nuts  are  hard,  oblong,  rounded  at 
the  base,  and  terminated  at  the  summit  in  an  acute  point;  the 
surface  is  very  rough,  and  deeply  and  irregularly  furrowed. 
They  are  ripe  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York  about  the  15th 
of  Septt3niber, — a  fortnight  earlier  than  the  other  species  of 
Walnut.  Some  years  they  are  so  abundant  that  one  person 
may  gather  several  bushels  of  them  in  a  day.  The  kernel  is 
thick  and  oily,  and  soon  becomes  rancid;  hence,  doubtless,  are 
derived  the  names  of  Butternut  and  Oilnut.  These  nuts  are 
rarely  seen  in  the  markets  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 
The  Indians  who  inhabited  these  regions  pounded  and  boiled 
them,  and,  separating  the  oily  substance  which  swam  upon  the 
surface,  mixed  it  with  their  food.  When  the  fruit  has  attained 
about  half  its  growth,  it  is  sometimes  used  for  making  pickles, 
being  fii'st  plunged  into  boiling  water,  and  thoroughly  wiped,  to 
clean  it  of  its  down,  and  afterward  preserved  in  vinegar. 

The  Black  Walnut  and  Butternut,  when  young,  resemble  each 
other  in  their  foliage  and  in  the  rapidity  of  their  growth;  but 
when  arrived  at  maturity,  their  forms  are  so  diflerent  as  to  be 
distinguishable  at  first  sight.  Remarkable  peculiarities  are  also 
found  on  examining  their  wood,  especially  when  seasoned ;  the 
Black  Walnut  is  heavy,  strong,  and  of  a  dark  brown  color,  while 
the  Buttei'nut  is  light,  of  little  strength,  and  of  a  reddish  hue; 
but  they  possess  in  common  the  great  advantage  of  lasting  long 
and  of  being  secure  from  the  annoyance  of  worms.  From  its 
want  of  solidity,  and  from  the  difficulty  of  procuring  pieces  of 
considerable  length,  Butternut  timber  is  never  used  in  the  cities 
in  the  construction  of  houses,  though  it  is  sometimes  employed 
for  this  purpose  in  the  country.      In  some  districts  of  New 


' '  i 


'  !J 


!L«' 


I 


m. 


i 


Ml 


i 


ifl 


'ji 


-.f'^p' 


112 


BUTTERNUT. 


M     v 


r  I  i 


ii  : 


1:| 


J!   il 


V    '         I 


Jersey  it  is  often  taken  for  the  sleepers  which  are  placed  imme- 
diately on  the  ground,  in  the  framing  of  houses  and  barns.  As 
it  long  resists  the  effects  of  heat  and  moisture,  it  is  esteemed  for 
the  posts  and  rails  of  rural  fence  and  for  troughs  for  the  use  of 
cattle.  For  corn-shovels  and  wooden  dishes,  it  is  preferred  to 
the  Red-tlowering  Maple,  because  it  is  lighter  and  less  liable  to 
split;  consequently,  articles  made  of  it  are  sold  at  a  higher 
price.  Near  New  York  I  have  observed  it  to  be  made  use  of 
for  canoes  formed  of  one  or  two  logs,  and  for  the  futtocks  de- 
signed to  give  them  solidity;  but  in  boats  of  considerable  size 
some  stronger  wood  is  selected  for  this  purpose.  At  Pittsburg, 
on  the  Ohio,  the  Butternut  is  sometimes  sawn  into  planks,  for 
the  construction  of  small  skiffs,  which,  on  account  of  their  light- 
ness, are  in  request  for  descending  the  river.  At  Windsor,  in 
Vermont,  it  is  used  for  the  panels  of  coaches  and  chaises;  the 
workmen  find  it  excellently  adapted  to  this  object,  not  only 
from  its  lightness,  but  because  it  is  not  liable  to  split  and 
receives  paint  in  a  superior  manner.  Indeed,  I  have  remarked 
that  its  pores  are  more  open  than  those  of  the  Poplar  and 
Bass  wood. 

The  medicinal  properties  of  Butternut  bark  have  long  since 
been  proved  by  several  eminent  physicians  of  the  United  States, 
and,  among  others,  by  Doctor  Cutler.'"  An  extract  in  water, 
or  even  a  decoction  sweetened  with  honey,  is  acknowledged  to 
be  one  of  the  best  cathartics  afforded  by  the  materia  medica;  its 
l)urgative  operation  is  always  sure,  and  unattended,  in  the  most 
delicate  constitutions,  with  pain  or  iri'itation.  Experience  has 
shown  lliat  it  produces  the  best  effects  in  many  ca.ses  of  dysen- 
tery. It  is  connnonly  given  in  the  form  of  pills,  and,  to  adults, 
in  (lo.ses  from  half  a  scruple  to  a  scruple.  It  is  not,  however,  in 
general  use,  except  in  the;  country,  where  many  of  the  farmers' 


*  [PrcviouHly,  by  Pr.  RuhIi,  in  tlie  war  of  the  Revolution  :  the  officiual  extract 
id  till'  only  one  now  used  by  |iriictiticiiierM.] 


BUTTERNUT. 


118 


wives  provide  a  small  store  of  it  in  the  spring  for  the  wants  of 
their  families  and  of  their  neighbors.  They  obtain  it  by  boil- 
ing the  bark  entire  in  water  till  the  liquid  is  reduced  by  evapo- 
ration 10  a  thick,  viscid  substance,  whicii  is  almost  black. 
This  is  a  faultj'  process:  the  exterior  bark,  or  the  dead  part 
which  covers  the  cellular  integument,  should  first  be  taken  off; 
for,  by  continued  boiling,  it  becomes  charged  with  four-fifths  of 
the  liquid,  already  enriched  with  extractive  matter.  I  have 
also  seen  this  bark  successfully  employed  as  a  revulsive  in 
inflammatory  ophthalmias  and  in  the  toothache :  a  piece  of  it 
soaked  in  warm  water  is  applied  in  these  cases  to  the  back  of 
the  neck.  In  the  country  it  is  sometimes  emplo^'ed  for  dyeing 
wool  of  a  dark  brown  color;  but  the  bark  of  the  Black  Walnut 
is  preferable  for  this  purpose. 

On  a  live  tree  the  cellular  tissue,  when  first  exposed,  is  of  a 
pure  white;  in  a  moment  it  changes  to  a  beautiful  lemon-color, 
and  soon  after  to  a  deep  brown. 

If  the  trunk  of  the  Butternut  is  pierced  in  the  month  which 
precedes  the  unfolding  of  the  leaves,  a  pretty  copious  discharge 
ensues  of  a  slightly-sugary  sap,  from  which,  by  evaporation, 
sugar  is  obtained  of  a  quality  inferior  to  that  of  the  Sugar  Maple. 

Although  the  Butternut,  as  has  been  seen,  possesses  useful 
properties,  I  do  not  think  it  sufficiently  valuable,  either  in  the 
arts  or  for  fuel,  to  recommend  its  introduction  into  the  forests 
of  the  Old  Continent:  it  should  find  place  only  in  our  pleti- 
siu'e-grounds. 


PLATE   XXXI, 

A  h;tf  of  hnlf  its  vatiiml  si:i\     Fifj.  1.  A  mit  with  its  husk. 

nut  Without  Its  husk. 


Fig.  2.  A 


iml  extract 


;  1 


V'  '■^ 


PECANNUT   HICKORY 

JuGLANS  OLiv.T':roK.Mis.     J.  fulioUs  phirimis,  sKhpcthlutis,  falmds,  sen-a 
tis;  frnctu  oblongo,  iwominulo-quadrcuujulo ;  mice  oUav/ornd,  levi. 

Ciirya  olivajforiiiis.     NuTT. 

This  species,  which  is  found  in  Upper  Louisiana,  is  culled, 
by  the  French  of  Illinois  and  New  Orleans,  Pacanier,  and  its 
fruit  Ricancs,  This  name  has  been  adopted  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  United  States,  who  call  it  Pecannut.  On  the  borders  of 
the  rivers  Missouri,  Illinois,  St.  Francis,  and  Arkansas,  it  is 
most  abundantly  multiplied :  it  is  also  common  on  the  river 
Wabash ;  on  the  Ohio  it  is  found  for  200  miles  from  its  junction 
with  the  Mississippi ;  higher  than  this  it  becomes  more  rare, 
and  is  not  seen  beyond  Louisville.  My  father,  in  traversing 
this  country,  learned  from  the  French  inhabitants,  who  ascend 
the  Mississippi  in  quest  of  furs,  that  it  is  not  found  on  that 
river  lieyond  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Mackakity,  which  dis- 
charges itself  in  the  latitude  of  42°  51'.* 

This  tree  grows  most  naturally  in  cold  and  wet  grounds. 
There  is  a  swamp  of  800  acres,  situated  on  tiie  right  bank  of 
the  Ohio,  opposite  to  the  river  Cumberland,  which  is  said  to  l)e 
entirely  covered  with  it,  and  which  is  called,  by  the  French, 
La  Mtcanlerc. 

The  Pecannut  is  a  beautiful  tree,  with  a  straight  and  well- 
shaped  truidc ;  in  the  forests  it  reaches  the  height  of  sixty  or 
seventy  feet.  Its  wood  is  coarse-grained,  and,  like  tiie  otiier 
Hickories,  heavy  and  com})act :  it  possesses  also  great  str<;nv*'' 
and  durability ;  but  in  these  res[)ects  it  is  inferior  to  some  spe- 

*  [It  bfurH  fruit  in  giirdciiH  near  I'iiiludt'liiliiii,  but  oiui  Hciiicvly  bu  mtid  to  per- 
f«ot  it.] 

114 


levi. 

NUTT. 

called, 
and  its 
ibitanta 
:ders  of 
IS,  it  is 
le  river 
unction 
re  rare, 
ivcrsing 
)  ascend 
on  that 
lich  dis- 

^rounds. 

banlc  of 

lid  to  l)e 

French, 

lid  well- 
sixty  or 
he  other 
stn.'nv*'' 
H)nie  spe- 


snid  til  per- 


i/ii! 


M' 


J 


t 


\ 


/'/,  :h 


i 


/ /',.,.•,,..' i; 


II! 


I  m  i  1 


:  ;  h. 


I,  !  n 


i:       i^ :  'J: 


Jl 

; 

',  >  i." 

i! 

i   '       I 

•;■  i;:'; 

■■     f 

I  :ii'' 

S 

f  ']' 

'       '  M 

1 

PECANNUT    HICKORY. 


1J5 


cies  hereafter  to  be  described.  Its  buds,  like  those  of  the  BUick 
Walnut  and  Butternut,  are  uncovered.  The  leaves  are  from 
twelve  to  eighteen  inches  in  length,  and  are  supported  by  peti- 
oles somewhat  angular,  and  slightly  downy  in  the  spring. 
Each  leaf  is  composed  of  six  or  seven  pair  of  sessile  leaflets 
and  terminated  by  a  petiolated  odd  one,  which  is  commonly 
smaller  than  the  pair  immediately  preceding.  The  leaflets  on 
ilourishing  trees  are  from  two  to  throe  inches  long,  ovnte,  ser- 
rate, and  remarkable  for  the  circular  form  of  the  upper  edge, 
while  the  lower  one  is  less  rounded.  It  is  also  to  be  noticed 
that  the  main  rib  is  placed  a  little  below  the  middle  of  the 
leaflet. 

The  nuts,  which  are  usually  abundant,  are  contained  in  a 
husk  from  one  to  two  lines  thick,  and  have  four  slightly-promi- 
nent angles  corresponding  to  their  internal  divisions.  They 
vary  in  length  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half,  are  pointed 
at  the  extremities,  of  a  cylindrical  form,  ond  of  a  yellowish 
color,  marked  at  the  period  of  perfect  maturity  with  blackish 
or  purple  lines.  The  shell  is  smooth  and  thin,  though  too  hard 
to  be  broken  by  the  fingers :  the  kernel  is  full,  and,  not  being 
divided  by  ligneous  partitions,  is  easily  extracted.  These  nuts, 
which  are  of  a  xcvy  agreeable  taste,  form  an  object  of  petty 
commerce  between  Upper  and  Lower  Louisiana.  From  New 
Orleans  they  are  exported  to  the  West  Indies  and  to  the  ports 
of  the  United  States.  They  are  not  only  better  than  any  other 
species  of  North  American  Walnuts,  but  they  appear  to  me  to 
be  more  delicately  flavored  than  those  of  Europe.  And,  be- 
sides, wild  varieties  of  the  Pecannut  are  found,  the  fruit  of 
which  is  much  larger  than  that  of  the  European  Walnut  unim- 
proved by  culture.  I  am  of  opinion,  then,  that  this  tree  merits 
the  attention  both  of  Americans  and  Europeans,  and  that  by 
assiduous  cultivation  it  may  be  brought  to  a  high  degree  of  per- 
fection. Tiiese  advantages,  it  is  true,  are  balanced  in  part  by 
the  slowness  of  its  growth  ;   there  are  trees  in  France  which 


!idi 


116 


BITTERNUT     HICKORY. 


have  been  planted  more  than  thirty  years,  and  which  do  not 
yield  fruit. 

If  the  practice  should  be  successfully  adopted  of  grafting  the 
Pecannut  on  the  Black  Walnut,  or  on  the  Coiftmon  Walnut,  its 
vegetation  would  be  incomparably  more  rapid,  and  no  motive 
should  discourage  its  propagation  in  Europe. 


M-M^ 


PLATE  XXXII. 

A  leaf  of  half  Us  natural  size.     Fig.  1.  A  nul  icith  its  hisk.     Fig.  2.  A 

nut  without  its  husk. 


I'f    IM 


BITTERNUT   HICKORY. 

JuGLANS   AMARA.     J.   arbor  maxima,  foliolis  7-9"'%  glubris,  conspicu^ 

serratis,   imparl  brccitcr  petiolato:  frudu  subrotando-otoidco,  supcrm 

suturis  pro))dnulis;  nuce  led,  subglobosd,  mucronatd:  putamine  fragili, 

nucleo  amaro. 

Carya  auiara.     Nutt. 

This  species  is  generally  known  in  New  Jersey  by  the  name 
of  Bitternut  Hickory ;  in  Pennsylvania,  and  particularly  in  the 
county  of  Lancaster,  it  is  called  White  Hickory,  and  sometimes 
Swamp  Hickory ;  farther  south,  it  is  confounded  with  the  Pig- 
nut Hickory.  The  French  of  Illinois,  like  the  inhabitants  of 
New  Jersey,  give  it  the  name  of  Bitternut,  which,  as  it  indi- 
cates one  of  the  peculiar  properties  of  the  fruit,  I  have  chosen 
to  retain. 

The  Bitternut  Hickory,  I  believe,  is  nowhere  found  much 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  Vermont,  in  the  45th  degree  of  lati- 
tude. It  is  not  seen  in  the  province  of  Maine,  where  the  borders 
of  the  rivei-s  offer  situations  analogous  to  those  in  which  il 


lilL 


'i' 

riii  i 
ill 

1 

I     h 


:!  '1 


I 


.)    ;ii' 


f  i        \ 


//.i;i 


liilll'l 

il 


M, 


r>illri     \iil    llii  lv»»r\ 


118 


BITTERNUT    HICKORY. 


shell  is  white,  smooth,  and  thin  enough  to  he  broken  by  tlio 
fingers.  The  kernel  is  remarkable  for  the  deep  ineqnalities 
pi'oduced  on  every  side  by  its  foldings.  It  is  so  harsh  and  bitter 
that  squirrels  and  other  animals  will  not  feed  on  it  while  any 
other  nut  is  to  be  found. 

In  some  parts  of  Pennsylvania  where  this  tree  is  multiplied 
an  oil  is  extracted  from  the  nuts,  which  is  used  for  burning  in 
lamps  and  other  inferior  purposes.  But  from  these  experiments, 
in  which  individuals  have  succeeded,  it  is  not  to  be  concluded 
that  a  sufficient  product  of  this  sort  can  be  obtained  to  form  a 
branch  of  industry;  neither  this  nor  any  other  species  of  Wal- 
nut is  abundant  enough  in  the  United  States. 

In  the  texture  of  its  bark,  and  in  the  color  of  its  heart  and 
sap,  the  Bitternut  Hickory  resembles  the  other  Hickories,  and 
its  wood  possesses,  though  in  an  inferior  degree,  the  weight, 
strength,  tenacity,  and  elasticity  which  so  plainly  distinguish 
them.  At  Lancaster  it  is  used  for  fuel ;  but  it  is  not  considered 
superior  to  the  White  Oak  nor  sold  at  a  higher  price. 

The  Bitternut  Hickory  exists  and  bears  fruit  in  several  gardens 
in  France ;  but  it  is  of  no  value  for  its  nuts,  and  flourishes  only 
in  very  fertile  soils.  As  its  wood,  also,  is  proved  in  America  tt) 
be  inferior  to  that  of  the  following  species,  I  think  it  should  not 
De  propagated  in  the  forests  of  Europe. 


PLATE  XXXIII. 

A  leaf  of  the  natural  size.     Fig.  1.  A  nut  with  its  husk.     Ji'ig.  2.  A  nut 

without  its  husk. 


by  thfl 
ualitios 
(1  bitter 
lile  any 

iltiplied 
'ning  in 
'iments, 
ncludcd 
)  form  a 
of  Wal- 

»art  and 
'ies,  and 
weight, 
tinguish 
nsidered 

gardens 
hes  only 
nerica  to 
lould  not 


K  2.  A  nut 


!  ■!'! 


•inmi 


'i*i'l 


//.;, 


i: 


I 


\     I 


I      h,i':l 


l^ili 


A.....  /./ 


\\  .ll(   I     IllIU  I      \lll     llu  Istll  N 


//.;, 


WATER   BITTERNUT   HICKORY. 


JuGLAXS  j^QiTATicA.     .7.  foliolis  9-ll°'»,  lanccolato-acuminoth,  suhscrraHs, 

sessiUbus,  impari  brcritcr  pdwlato:  frud'ibus  pedunculatis,  nuce  sub- 

depress/i,  pared,  ritbiffinosd,  tencrd. 

Cifrya  aquatica.     Nutt 

No  specific  name  has  hitherto  been  given  this  species,  which 
is  confined  to  the  Southern  States ;  it  is  confounded  with  the 
Pignut  Ilickoxy,  though  differing  from  it  in  many  respects. 
The  name  which  I  propose  appears  sufficiently  appropriate;  for 
I  have  always  found  this  tree  in  swamps,  and  ditches  which 
surround  the  ricefields,  where  it  is  accompanied  by  the  Red- 
'owering  Maple,  Tupelo,  Cypress,  and  Carolina  Poplar.      The 

'  jr  Bitternut  Hickory  grows  to  the  height  of  forty  or  fifty 
i^L  c,  and  in  its  general  appearance  resembles  the  other  Hickories. 
Its  leaves  are  eight  or  nine  inches  long,  and  of  a  beautiful  green. 
They  are  composed  of  four  or  five  pair  of  sessile  leaflets  sur- 
mounted Ijy  a  petiolated  odd  one.  The  leaflets  are  serrate,  four 
or  five  inches  long,  eight  or  nine  lines  broad,  and  very  similar 
to  the  leaves  of  the  Peach-tree. 

The  husk  is  thin,  and  the  nuts  are  small,  angular,  a  little  de- 
prest'ed  at  the  sides,  somewhat  rough,  of  a  ivddish  color,  and 
very  tender.  The  kernel  is  very  bitter,  formed  in  folds  like 
that  of  the  Bitternut  Hickory,  and,  as  may  be  su[)posed,  is  not 
eatable.  The  wood  of  this  species,  though  partaking  of  the 
common  properties  of  the  Hickories,  is  in  every  respect  inferior 
to  the  otiiers,  from  the  nature  of  the  grounds  on  which  it  grows. 

The  Water  Bitternut  Hickory,  which  1  have  introduced  into 

France,  nourishes  unchecked  by  the  rigor  of  our  winters;  but  1 

do  not  think  it  deserves  to  linil  a  place  in  tiie  forests  of  Euro[)e, 

nor  to  Ik;  spared  in  clearing  the  new  lauds  of  America.     The 

southern  i)arts  of  the  United  States  posscHS  nmny  sorts  of  timber 

lltt 


iP  i 


III 


I  :'  i 


■l\.'lil< 


\,i   !  I 


120 


MOCKERNUT     HICKORY. 


more  useful  in  building,  to  wliich  purpose  this,  like  the  other 
Hickories,  is  poorly  adapted. 

PLATE  XXXIV. 

A  branch  unth  leaves  of  (he  natural  size.    Fig.  1.  Nuts  with  their  husks. 
Fig.  2.  Nuts  without  their  husks. 


liv': 


MOCKERNUT   HICKORY. 

Ju(3r.ANS   TOMENTOSA.    J.  foliolis  7-9"'',  levitcr  seriYitis,  conspiciiii  villosis, 

impari  sabpcliolato ;  amentis  compositis,  longissimis,  Jiliformibus,  eximih 

tomentosis:  fructu  globose  vel  oblougo;  mice  quadranguld,  crassa,  duris- 

simdque. 

Carya  toinentosa.     Nutt. 

In  the  parts  of  New  Jersey  which  lie  on  the  river  Hudson, 
and  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  its  vicinity,  this  species  is 
known  by  the  name  of  Mockernut  Hickory,  and,  less  commonly, 
of  White-heart  Hickory;  at  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  and  in 
Virginia,  that  of  Common  Hickory  is  the  only  one  in  use.  The 
French  of  Illinois  call  it  Nogcr  dur,  or  Hard  Walnut.  The  first 
of  these  den(miinati(ms,  which  is  descriptive  of  the  fruit,  I  have 
for  that  reason  adopted. 

This  species  is  not,  as  the  name  which  it  Iwars  in  that  country 
would  indicate,  more  multiplied  in  Pennsylvania,  and  farther 
south,  than  the  other  Hickories.  I  have  not  seen  it  north  of 
Portsmouth  in  New  Hampshire;  though  100  miles  south,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Boston  and  Providence,  it  is  common.  It  is 
most  abundant  in  the  forests  that  still  remain  (m  the  coast  of 
the  Middle  States  and  in  those  which  cover  the  upper  parts  of 
the  ('arolinas  and  of  Georgia;  but  in  the  last-mentioned  States 


e  other 


r  hmks. 


h  villosis, 
IS,  exhnik 
?a,  dttris- 

NUTT. 

Hudson, 
)ecit's  is 
nmonly, 
!,  and  in 
e.  The 
rhe  first 
,  I  have 

country 

farther 

north  of 

li,  in  the 

1.     It  is 

coast  of 

parts  of 

d  States 


' 


III! 


1 


ill 


ill 


'  i 


■ 


.  I  11,1 /<  I II.'      /,'lll(llf''S(  ' 


m] 


MOCKERNUT     HICKORY. 


121 


it  becomes  move  rave  in  appvoa?liiiig  the  sea,  as  the  stevility 
of  the  soil,  in  geneval  dry  and  sandy,  is  unpvopitious  to  its 
gvowth.  I  have  noticed,  liowever,  that  this  is  the  only  Hickory 
which  springs  in  the  pinc-barvens :  the  sprouts  arc  burnt  every 
year,  and  never  rise  higher  than  three  or  four  feet.  I  have 
made  the  same  observation  in  traversing  the  Big  Barrens  of 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  where  the  Mockevnut  Ilickovy  and 
Black  Jack  Oak  alone  are  seen.  They  survive  the  conflagra- 
tions which  almost  every  spring  envelop  the  pvaivies;  but  theiv 
vegetation  is  checked  by  the  five,  and  they  do  not  exceed  the 
height  of  eight  or  ten  feet. 

Like  most  of  the  Walnuts,  the  Mockernut  Hickory  flourishes 
in  rich  soils,  and  chiefly  on  the  gentle  acclivities  which  suvvound 
the  swamps,  where  it  grows  mingled  with  the  Sweet  Gum,  Pop- 
lar, Sugar  Maple,  Bitternut  Hickory,  and  Black  Walnut.  In 
these  situations  it  reaches  its  greatest  size,  which  is  commonly 
about  sixty  feet  in  height  and  eighteen  or  twenty  inches  in  dia- 
meter. I  remember  to  have  seen  larger  Mockernut  Hickories 
near  Lexington  in  Kentucky;  but  this  extraordinary  growth  iii 
several  species  of  trees  is  rarely  seen  on  iliis  side  of  the  Alle- 
ghany, and  is  attributable  to  the  extreme  fertility  of  the  soil  in 
the  Western  country.  Of  all  the  Hickories,  however,  the 
M;  ckernut  succeeds  best  on  lands  of  a  middling  rpiality;  for  it 
forms  a  part  of  the  waste  and  impoverish(!d  forests  which  cover 
the  meager,  sandy  soil  of  Lower  Virginia,  though  under  these 
disadvantages  it  exhibits  but  a  mean  and  stunted  appearance. 

The  buds  of  this  species  are  large,  short,  of  a  grayish  white, 
and  very  hard :  in  the  winter,  after  the  falling  of  the  leaf,  they 
afl'ovd  the  only  characteristic  by  which  the  tree  can  be  distin- 
guished when  it  exceeds  eight  or  ten  feet  in  height.  In  the 
beginning  of  May  the  buds  swell,  the  external  scales  fall  off, 
and  the  inner  ones  soon  after  burst  and  display  the  young  leaf. 
The  leaves  gvow  so  vapidly  that  I  have  seen  them  gain  twenty 

inches  in  eighteen  days.     They  are  composed  of  four  pair  of 

r.— 8* 


it 


122 


M  0  C  K  E  11  N  U  T    II I  C  K  0  R  Y. 


I,       ■! 


i  I: 


f!i    'I 


!;  '■  h 


!.ti     I 


sessile  leaflets  and  terminated  hy  an  odd  one.  The  leaflets  are 
large,  oval-acuminate,  slightly  serrate,  odorous,  pretty  thick,  and 
hairy  underneath,  as  is  also  the  connnon  petiole  to  which  they 
are  attached.  With  the  first  frost  the  leaves  change  to  a  beau- 
tiful yellow,  and  fall  soon  after.  The  male  flowers  appear  on 
pendulous,  downy,  axillary  aments,  six  or  eight  inches  long; 
the  female  flowers,  Avhicli  are  not  vei'y  conspicuous,  are  of  a  i)ale 
rose-color  and  are  situated  at  the  extremity  of  the  young  shoots. 

The  fruit  is  ripe  about  the  15th  of  November.  It  is  odorous, 
sessile  or  rarely  pedunculated,  and  commonly  united  in  pairs. 
In  form  and  size  it  exhibits  remai'kable  varieties :  on  some  trees 
it  is  round,  with  depressed  seams,  on  others  oblong,  with  angu- 
lar or  prominent  seams ;  it  is  sometimes  two  inches  long  and 
twelve  or  fifteen  lines  in  diameter,  and  sometimes  of  less  than 
half  this  size.  It  differs  also  in  weight  as  well  as  in  configura- 
tion and  volume,  varying  from  one  drachm  to  four.  The 
largest  nuts  might  be  confounded  with  those  of  the  Thick 
Shellbark  Hickory,  and  the  snudlest  with  those  of  the  Pignut 
Hickory :  I  have  selected  for  the  di'awing  a  nut  of  the  most 
common  size.  The  shell  is  very  thick,  somewhat  channelled, 
and  extremely  hard.  The  kernel  is  sweet,  but  minute,  and 
difficult  to  extract,  on  account  of  the  strong  partitions  which 
divide  it :  hence,  probably,  is  dei'ived  the  name  of  Mockernut, 
and  hence,  also,  this  fruit  is  rarely  seen  in  the  markets. 

The  trunk  of  the  old  Mockernut  Hickory  is  covered  with  a 
thick,  hard,  and  rugged  bark.  Its  wood  is  of  the  same  color 
and  texture  with  the  other  Hickories,  and  characterized  by  the 
qualities  which  render  this  class  of  trees  so  remarkable.  It  is 
particularly  esteemed  for  fuel,  for  which  use  trees  of  six  or 
eight  inches  in  diameter  are  preferred.  At  this  stage  of  its 
growth,  while  the  heart,  the  proper  color  of  which  is  reddish,  is 
not  yet  developed,  it  frequently  goes  by  the  name  of  White- 
heart  Hickory.  In  the  country  a  greenish  color  is  sometimes 
extracted  from  the  bark ;  but  it  is  not  extensively  in  use. 


vilets  are 
liick,  and 
licli  tliey 

0  a  beau- 
ippear  on 
lies  long; 
!  of  a  pale 
ng  shoots. 
s  odorous, 
.  in  pairs, 
some  trees 
vitli  angu- 

1  long  and 
■  less  than 

configura- 
bur.      The 
the   Thick 
the  Pignut 
if  the  most 
channelled, 
linute,  and 
■ions  which 
Mockernut, 
ets. 
ered  with  a 

same  color 
irized  by  the 
kable.  It  is 
es  of  six  or 

stage  of  its 
is  reddish,  is 
le  of  White- 
is  sometimes 
in  use. 


IH    I 


I  i 


I':    i 


i   rll 


r,.:-,:,   ././' 


Shell  h.irk  llukon 


/VM> 


I  i 


m 


jillll 


i:,:'.r,.!-' 


S  H  E  L  L  B  A  R  K     HICKORY. 


128 


Of  all  the  Hickories  this  species  is  of  the  slowest  growth, — 
a  fact  which  I  have  proved  by  planting  nuts  of  the  several 
species  and  by  comparing  the  length  of  their  annual  shoots.  I 
have  also  been  led  to  believe  that  it  is  the  most  liable  to  be 
attacked  by  worms,  and  especially  by  the  Callidlum  Jlexuosum, 
whose  larva  eats  within  the  body  of  the  tree.  These  considera- 
tions appear  sulHciontly  weighty  to  induce  cultivators,  in  form- 
ing large  plantations,  to  prefer  some  of  the  species  which  are 
described  in  the  sequel. 

i'LATE  XXXV. 

A  leaf  of  the  third  of  its  natural  size.     Fii/.  1.  A  nut  with  its  husk.     Fig.  2. 
A  nut  icithout  its  husk.    Fig.  3.  Callidium  jlexuosum. 


SHELLBAKK   HICKORY. 

JuGi.AXS  SQUAMOSA.     J.  foliolis  (juiiiis,  viojoribus,  hmg^.  lutiolatis,  ovatO' 

acuminatis,  scrratis,   subtks  villosi.'^,  inipari  scssili;  amcntis  masculis, 

cotnpusitis,  (/labris,  Jilij'onnilius :  fruclu  globoso,  ilq)rcsso,  majorc;  vuce 

vomprcssd  alba. 

Ciirya  albii.     Nltt. 

The  singular  lisposition  of  the  bark  in  this  species  has  given 
rise  to  the  descriptive  names  of  Shellbark,  Shagbark,  and  Scaly- 
bark  Hickorv,  the  first  of  vvhich,  as  being  most  generally  in  use 
in  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  1  have  adopted.  Many 
descendants  of  the  Dutch  settU-rs,  wiio  inhabit  the  parts  of 
New  Jersey  near  the  city  of  New  York,  call  it  KMct/  T/ioma^ 
nui,  and  the  Fi-ench  of  Illinois  know  it  by  the  name  of  Noi/vr 
hmh'c,  or  Soft  Walnut. 

Beyond  Portsmouth,  in  New  Hampshire,  1  have  not  observed 


i;  ill  III  , 


i 


V2i 


S  II  E  L  L  B  A  R  K    II I  C  K  0  R  Y. 


m  • 


the  Slicllbark  Hickory;  and  even  there,  its  vegetation  being 
impeded  by  the  rigor  of  the  climate,  its  statnre  is  h>\v  and  its 
fruit  small.  I  have  not  found  it  in  the  forests  of  the  district 
of  Maine,'''  nor  in  those  of  Vermont,  situated  a  little  higher 
toward  the  north.  It  abounds  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  about 
Gene\a  in  Genesee,  along  the  river  Mohawk,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Closhen  in  New  Jersev,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers 
Susquehanna  and  Schuylkill  in  Pennsylvania.  In  Maryland, 
in  the  lower  parts  of  Virginia,  and  in  the  other  Southern  States, 
it  is  less  connnon.  In  South  Carolina  I  have  not  noticed  it 
nearer  Charleston  than  the  parish  of  Goose  Creek,  about  twenty- 
four  miles  distant.  It  is  met  witli  in  the  Western  States,  but 
not  as  frequently  as  the  following  species, — the  Thick  Shellbark 
Hickory,  to  wiiich  it  bears  a  striking  analogy,  and  with  which 
it  is  confounded  by  the  inhabitants.  East  of  the  Aileghanies 
the  Shellbark  Hickory  grows  almost  exclusively  aliout  swamps 
and  wet  grounds,  which  are  exposed  to  be  inundated  for  several 
Aveeks  together:  in  these  situations  it  is  found  in  company  with 
the  Swamp  White  Oak,  Ked-llowering  Maple,  Sweet  Gum,  But- 
tonvvood,  and  Tupelo.  Of  all  the  Hickories  this  species  grows 
to  the  greatest  height  with  proportionally  the  smallest  diameter, 
for  it  is  sometimes  seen  eighty  or  ninety  feet  high  and  less  than 
two  feet  thick.  The  trunk  is  destitutes  of  branches,  regularly 
sha])('(l,  and  of  an  almost  iniilbrm  size  for  three-cpiarters  of  its 
length,  thus  foruiiug  a  very  due  tree.  Tiie  greatest  peculiarity 
in  its  a])pearauiM'.  and  that  by  which  it  is  most  easily  distiii- 
•ruished,  is  tl:  siM'face  of  tiie  trunk.  The  exterior  l);irk  is 
divided  i  lo  a  great  number  of  long,  narrow  ])lates,  which 
bend  outward  at  the  emls  and  adhere  oidy  in  the  middle. 
Bristling  in  this  manner  with  ])rojecting  jioints.  the  Shellbark 
Hickory  attracts  the  attention  of  the  most  careless  observer. 
This  remarkable  exfoliation  of  the  epiilermis  takes  place  only 


[Till!  Slu'llli.irk  Ifiiknry  is  f'ounil  in  the  I'ounly  of  Vurk,  in  Miiiiio.    Hmkuson.] 


SIIELLBARK     HICKORY. 


125 


in  trees  wlik-u  (xceed  ten  iiielies  in  diameter,  thougli  it  is  much 
earlier  indieat^d  by  seams.  This  eharacteristie,  by  which  the 
tree  may  be  recognised  in  Avinler  when  stripped  of  its  leaves, 
does  not  exist  during  the  seven  or  eight  first  years  of  its  growth  ; 
and  during  this  period  it  may  easily  Ijo  confounded  with  the 
Mockernut  Hickory  and  Pignut  Hickory,  if  recourse  is  not  had 
to  the  buds.  In  these  two  species,  and  generally  in  all  trees, 
the  buds  are  formed  of  scales  closely  applied  one  upon  another; 
in  the  species  which  wo  are  considering,  the  two  external  scales 
adhere  for  only  half  the  length  of  the  bud  and  leave  the  upper 
part  uncovered.  It  is  my  opinicm  that  in  this  disposition  of  the 
scales,  which  is  peculiar  to  this  and  the  following  species,  should 
be  sought  the  origin  of  the  exfoliation  of  the  bark.  When  the 
sap  begins  to  ascend  in  the  spring,  the  outer  scales  fall,  and  the 
iimer  ones  swell  and  bec(mic  covered  with  a  yellowish  silky 
down:  after  a  fortnight,  the  Ijuds,  which  are  already  two  inches 
long,  open  and  give  birth  to  the  young  leaves.  The  growth  of 
the  leaves  are  so  rapid,  that  in  a  month  they  attain  their  full 
length,  which  on  young  and  vigorous  trees  is  sometimes  twenty 
inches.  They  consist  of  two  pair  of  leaflets  with  a  sessile  odd 
one.  The  leallets  are  very  large,  oval-acuminate,  serrate,  and 
slightly  downy  underneath.  The  male  llowers,  which  in  the 
State  of  New  York  appear  from  the  15th  to  the  2()th  of  May, 
lire  disposed,  as  in  the  pr"cediiig  si)ecies,  on  long,  glabrous,  lili- 
forin,  pendulous  aments,  of  which  three  are  united  on  a  common 
pedimde,  attached  at  the  base  of  the  young  shoots;  the  female 
llowers,  of  a  greenish  line,  and  scarcely  ajjparent,  are  situated 
at  the  extremity.  The  fruit  of  tiie  Shellbark  Hickory  is  ripe 
alxiut  the  beginning  of  October.  Some  years  it  is  so  abundant 
that  several  bushels  nuiy  be  gathered  from  a  single  tree.  It 
varies  in  size,  accoi'ding  to  the  soil  and  the  exposure  in  which 
it  is  produced;  but  five  and  a  half  inches  nuiy  be  assiuneil  as 
the  average  of  its  circiniderence.  The  siiape  is  uniforndy 
round,  with  four  depressed  seams,  in  which  liie  husk  opeurf  at 


M 


Will! 


IS' 


i 


12(3 


S  II  E  L  L  B  A  R  K    HICKORY. 


!|i 


I 


t 


the  .seiisou  of  perfect  maturity,  dividing  itself  completely  into 
ecpiiil  isectiuiis.  The  entire  .separation  of  the  husk,  and  its 
thickness  disproportioned  to  the  size  of  the  nut,  form  a  cha- 
racter peculiar  to  the  Shellbark  Hickories.  The  nuts  of  this 
species  are  small,  white,  compressed  at  the  sides,  and  marked 
by  four  distinct  angles,  which  correspond  to  the  divisions  of  the 
husk. 

The  Shellbark  nut  contains  a  fuller  and  sweeter  kernel  than 
any  American  Walnut  except  the  Pecannut.  The  shell,  though 
thin,  must  be  cracked  before  being  brought  upon  the  table,  as  it 
is  too  hard  to  be  crushed  in  the  fingeis  like  the  European  Wal- 
nut, which  is  certainly  a  superior  fruit.  These  nuts  are  in  such 
rc(pKvst  that  they  form  a  snuill  article  of  connnerce,  I'ogistered 
on  the  list  of  exports  of  the  products  of  the  United  States. 
This  exportation,  which  does  not  exceed  four  or  live  hundred 
bushels  anniudh-,  takes  place  from  New  York,  and  fnmi  the  small 
ports  of  Connecticut,  to  the  Southern  States,  to  the  West  India 
Islands,  and  even  to  Liverpool,  where  the  fruit  is  known  by  the 
name  of  IIick(jry  nuts.  In  the  market  of  New  Yoi'k  they  are 
sold  at  two  dollars  a  bushel.  They  are  gathered  in  the  foi'ests, 
and  from  insulated  trees  which  in  some  places  have  been  spared 
in  clearing  the  lands, — a  precaution  which  I  have  particularly 
noticed  to  have  been  used  near  Goshen  in  New  Jersey,  and  on 
several  estates  about  thirty  miles  beyond  Albany. 

Tlie  Indians  who  inhabit  the  shores  of  Lakes  Erie  and  Michi- 
gan lay  up  a  store  of  these  nuts  lor  the  winter,  a  part  of  which 
tl>i'y  pound  in  wooden  mortars,  and,  boiling  the  paste  in  water, 
collect  the  oily  matter  which  swims  upon  the  surface,  to  season 
their  food. 

IJefore  speaking  of  the  properties  of  the  wood,  I  onnnot  for- 
bear mentioning  a  fine  variety  of  Shellbark  nuts  produced  upon 
a  farm  at  Seacocus,  near  Snakchill  in  New  .lersey.  They  are 
nearly  twice  as  hirge  as  any  that  I  have  seen  elsewhere,  and 
have  a  white  shell  with  rounded  })rominence8  instead  of  angles. 


S  II  E  L  L  R  A  R  K     II I  C  K  0  II  Y. 


127 


A  century  of  cultivation,  perhaps,  would  not  advance  the  spe- 
cies generally  to  an  ecpial  degree  of  perfection,  and  prohahly  this 
variety  might  still  be  improved  by  grafting. 

The  wood  of  tlie  Shell1)ark  Hickory  possesses  all  the  charac- 
teristic properties  of  the  Hickories,  being  strong,  elastic,  and 
tenacious.  It  has  also  their  common  defects  of  soon  decaying 
and  of  being  eaten  by  worms.  As  this  tree  sti'etches  up  to  a 
great  height  with  nearly  a  uniform  diameter,  it  is  sometimes 
employed  at  New  York  and  Philadelphia  for  the  keels  of  vessels ; 
but  it  is  now  seldom  used  for  this  purpose,  most  of  the  largo 
trees  near  the  seaports  being  already  consumed.  Its  wood  is 
found  to  split  most  easily  and  to  be  the  most  elastic ;  for  this 
reason  it  is  used  for  making  baskets,  and  also  for  whip-handles, 
which  are  esteemed  for  their  suppleness,  and  of  which  several 
cases  are  annually  exported  to  England.  For  the  same  excel- 
lence, and  for  the  superior  fineness  of  its  grain,  it  is  selected  in 
the  neighborhood  of  New  York  and  Philadeli)hia  for  the  back- 
])ows  of  Windsor  chairs,  which  are  wholly  of  wood.  I  have 
fre(pu'ntly  observed,  tliat  among  th(  Hickory  wood  brought  to 
New  York  for  fuel,  this  species  predominated. 

Such  are  the  uses  to  which  the  Shellbark  Hickory  appears 
peculiarly  adapted.  It  has  JM'fore  been  seen  to  ])e  a  tree  of  lofty 
stature  and  majestic  appearance :  I  slK)uld  therefore  reconnnend 
its  introduction  into  the  European  forests,  Avheie  it  should  ho, 
consigned  to  cool  and  humid  places,  congenial  with  those  in 
which  it  flourishes  in  Anu'rica.  In  the  north  of  Europe  it 
could  not  fail  of  succeeding,  as  it  securely  braves  the  most  in- 
tense cold. 

PLATE   XXXVI. 

Fiff.  1.  A  nut  with  ils  husk.    F!(j.  2.  A  scdlon  of  the  hush.    Fig.  3.  A  nw 
without  its  husk.    Fig.  4.  A  (ntrnii  (itiunt  dicidcd  into  three  jwrts. 


'■•I: 


.i 

jjliiliil 
I'll 


THICK    SHELLBARK    HICKORY. 


:  '  ^  f  i! 


j'i 


.\\'    \ 


.  I  y 


JuGLANS  LAciNiosA..     .7.  follts  VHijorihiis,  foUolis  7-9"'",  ovato-acuminatis, 

scrralis,  !^iiJit(>i)iiiilof<h,  uiipari,  pctlohilo:  fructa  vinjore,   orato;   mice 

oldoncja,  cr((S!<a,  nwdiocriter  comprcssd. 

Carya  sulcata.     NuTT. 

Tins  species  l)eiii>?  a  striking  analogy  to  the  preceding,  and  is 
fre(inently  confoinided  with  it  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Western 
country :  «Mne  of  them  distinguish  it  by  the  name  of  Thick 
Shellbark  Hickory,  which  should  be  preserved  as  its  appropriate 
denomination.  East  of  the  AUeghanies,  this  tree  is  rare  and  is 
found  only  in  a  few  places;  it  grows  on  the  Schuylkill  River 
thirty  or  forty  miles  from  its  junction  with  the  Delaware,  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  Springfield,  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from  Phi- 
ladelphia, where  its  fruit  is  called  Springfield  nut.  It  is  also 
found  in  Gloucester  county,  in  Virginia,  under  the  name  of 
Gloucester  Walnut.  These  dillerent  denominations  confirm  my 
observation  that  this  species  is  little  multiplied  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains, — a  fact  of  which  I  became 
assured  in  travelhng  through  the  country.  Tt  abounds,  on  the 
other  liand,  in  the  l)ottoms  Avhich  skirt  the  Ohio  and  the  rivers 
which  empty  into  it,  where  it  unites  witli  the  IToney  Locust, 
Black  Maple,  Hackberry,  Black  Walnut,  Wild  Cherry,  White 
and  Red  Elm,  Box  Elder,  White  ^Fajjlc,  and  Buttcmwood,  to 
form  the  thick  and  gloomy  forests  which  cover  these  valleys. 
Like  tlie  Shellbark  Hickory,  it  grows  to  the  heiglit  of  eighty 
feet,  and  its  am))l<'  head  is  supported  liy  a  straight  trunk,  in 
diameter  proportioned  to  its  elevation.  The  bark  exhibits  the 
name  singular  arrangement  with  that  of  the  Shellbark  Hickory: 
it  is  divided  into  strips  from  one  to  (hree  feet  long,  whicii  are 
warped  outward  at  the  end  and  attaclied  only  at  the  middle. 
They  fall,  and  are  succeeded  by  others  similarly  disjjosed.     It 


acuminads, 
raio;   mice 


1.      NUTT. 

ng,  and  is 
i  Western 
of  Thick 
ppropviate 
arc  and  is 
Ikill  River 
lAvare,  and 
from  Phi- 
It  is  also 
!  name  of 
on  firm  my 
the  eastern 
.  I  became 
[ids,  on  the 
I  the  rivers 
ley  Locust, 
rry,  White 
onwood,  to 
i-se  valleys. 
X  o(  eighty 
it  trunk,  in 
'xhihits  the 
•k  Hickory: 
;.  which  are 
the  middle, 
is posed.     It 


1 


I  . 


l/'.:..,.// 


rilick   Slu-ll    l-.uk    III.    LoiA 


Till  C  K     SHELL  B  A  R  K    II I  C  K  0  R  Y. 


120 


is  only  observable  that  in  this  species  the  plates  are  naiTower, 
more  niunerous,  and  of  a  lighter  color;  from  which  difTerencea 
T  have  thought  proper  to  give  it  the  specific  name  o^  Jac'unosa. 
The  outer  scales  of  the  buds  do  not  adhere  entirely  to  the  inner 
ones,  but  retire  as  in  the  Shellbark  Hickory.  The  leaves  also, 
which  vary  in  length  from  eight  to  twenty  inches,  observe  the 
same  process  in  unfolding,  and  are  similar  in  size,  configuration, 
and  texture ;  l)ut  they  differ  in  being  composed  of  seven  leaflets 
and  sometimes  of  nin(>,  instead  of  five,  the  invariable  number 
of  the  Shellbark  Hickory.  The  male  amcnts  arc  disposed  in 
the  same  form,  though  they  are,  perhaps,  a  little  longer  than  in 
the  other  sjiocies.  The  female  flowers  appear,  not  very  conspi- 
cuously, at  the  extremity  of  the  shoots  of  the  same  spring. 
They  arc  succeeded  by  a  large  oval  fruit,  more  than  two  inches 
long  and  four  or  five  inches  in  circumference.  Like  that  of  the 
Shellbark  Hickory,  it  has  four  depi'essed  seams,  which,  at  its 
complete  maturity,  open  through  their  whole  length  for  the 
escape  of  the  nut.  The  nut  of  this  species  is  widel}'  difterent 
from  the  other ;  it  is  nearly  twice  as  big,  longer  than  it  is  broad, 
and  terminated  at  each  end  in  a  firm  point.  The  shell  is  also 
thicker  and  of  a  yellowish  hue,  while  that  of  the  Shellbark  nut 
is  white. 

From  the  color  of  its  nut,  the  Shellbark  Hickory  received 
the  specific  name  of  alha,  which  I  have  changed,  as  it  indicates 
a  character  possessed  by  it  in  common  with  another  species 
found  in  the  Royal  Gardens  of  the  Petit  Trianon.  This  species, 
originally  from  North  America,  belongs  to  the  Scalybark  Hicko- 
ries. The  nuts  are  white,  and  the  entire  fruit,  though  a  little 
inferior  in  size,  resembles  that  of  the  proper  Shellbark  Hickory. 
By  its  foliage  it  is  related  to  the  Thick  Shellbark  Hickory^  each 
leaf  being  composed  of  four  pair  of  leaflets  with  an  odd  one. 
The  specific  name  of  amhiyua  might  with  propriety  be  given 
to  it. 

The  nuts  of  the  Thick  Shellbark  Hickory  are  brought  every 

Vol.  I.— '.t 


130 


THICK     S  II  E  L  L  li  A  R  K     II I  C  K  0  i:  Y 


11      i'li 


''F'.; 


iM 


:i 


.!' I 


I'iilli 


autumn  to  the  market  of  riiiladolpliia,  but  the  quantity  d-^'oa 
not  oxceotl  a  few  bushels,  and  tliey  are  generally  sold  mixed 
with  those  of  the  Mockernut  Hickory,  which  resemble  some 
varieties  of  this  S])ecies.  The  Gloucester  Hickory  I  consider 
only  as  a  variety  of  the  Thick  Siiellbark  Hickory,  to  which  it 
bears  the  strongest  resemblance  in  its  young  shoots,  in  the  num- 
ber of  its  leaflets,  and  in  its  barren  aments.  The  only  essential 
diflerence  is  in  the  nuts;  (hose  of  the  Gloucester  Walnut  arc  a 
third  larger,  Avith  the  shell  one-half  thicker,  and  so  hard  that  it 
requires  pretty  heavy  ])lo\vs  of  a  hammer  to  crack  them.  In 
color  they  resemble  the  nuts  of  the  Mockernut  Hickory,  with 
the  finest  varieties  of  which  they  might,  from  this  circumstance, 
be  confounded. 

The  Thick  8hell])ark  Hickory,  as  has  been  said,  is  nearly 
related  to  the  Shellbark  Hickory;  and  its  wood,  which  is  of  the 
same  color  and  texture,  unites  the  peculiar  qualities  of  that 
species  with  such  as  are  connuou  to  the  Hickories.  Its  fruit, 
though  larger,  is  inferior  in  taste;  and  this  consideration  should 
induce  proprietors  in  the  Western  country,  in  clearing  their  new 
lands,  to  spai'e  the  true  Shellbark  Hickory  in  preference  when 
both  species  are  found  upon  the  same  soil.  For  the  same  reason, 
and  for  its  favorajjle  growth  in  less  fertile  gi'ounds,  and  even  in 
elevated  situations, — a  fact  which  I  have  observed  neiir  Browns- 
ville on  the  Monongahela  River, — the  same  preference  should,  I 
think,  be  given  to  it  in  the  forests  of  Europe. 

In  the  description  of  the  Scaly  bark  Hickories,  it  has  been  s<.'en 
that  they  exhibit  many  striking  traits  of  resemblance,  which 
may  warrant  the  grouping  of  them  into  a  secondary  section. 
Besides  their  generic  and  specific  characters,  they  possess  others 
peculiar  to  themselves,  by  which  they  ai'e  so  nearly  related  that, 
were  it  not  for  some  remarkable  differences,  tiiey  might  be 
treated  as  a  single  species.  The  general  characters  of  the 
Hickories  are,  three-clefted,  pliable,  and  pendulous  male  aments, 
and  certain  common   properties  of  the  wood.      To  these  are 


T  II I  C  K     S  II  E  L  L  B  A  R  K     II I  C  K  0  R  Y. 


131 


added,  in  the  Sciilj  llickovios,  a  very  thick  linsk,  coA'oring  the 
nut  completely,  and  divided  into  four  parts  when  ripe;  a  shaggy 
bark  on  the  trunk,  indicated,  in  my  opinion,  by  the  external 
scales  of  the  buds  not  adhering  to  those  beneath;  and  leaves 
composed  of  very  large  leaflets  of  a  uniform  shape  and  texture. 
In  comparing  the  three  species  with  each  other,  essential  difier- 
ences  ai'e  observed.  The  Shellljark  Hickory,  for  instance,  and 
the  Jatjlans  amhi<iua,  are  constantly  distinguished  by  the  num- 
ber of  leaflets,  which  is  always  five  in  the  first  species  and  nine 
in  the  last.  The  nuts  and  the  entire  fruit,  on  the  other  hand, 
are  so  much  alike,  that  they  might  be  mistaken  for  the  product 
of  the  same  tree:  the  fruit  of  both  is  round,  with  depressed 
seams,  and  the  nuts  are  similarly  moulded  and  equally  white. 
If,  on  a  more  attentive  examination,  the  Gloucester  Hickory  is 
determined  to  be  a  distinct  species  from  the  Thick  Shellbark 
Hickory,  it  will  be  observed  that  they  resemble  each  other  in 
their  leaves,  composed  of  seven  and  sometimes  of  nine  leaflets, 
and  in  the  luxuriant  force  of  their  vegetati(m,  but  that  they 
differ  in  their  fruit,  which  in  the  Thick  Shellbark  Hickory  is 
oblong,  with  a  compressed  nut,  like  that  of  the  Shellbark 
Hickory,  of  twice  the  size,  and  of  a  yellowish  color,  and  in  the 
Gloucester  Hickory  sphei'ical  and  very  large,  with  a  large 
grayish-Avhite  nut,  nearly  round,  whose  shell  is  two  lines  thick 
and  extremely  hard.  In  fine,  it  is  to  be  remarked  that  the 
species  and  the  variety  of  the  Scalybark  Hickory  wdiich  have 
been  described  grow,  or  at  least  are  most  abundantly  multiplied, 
in  regions  far  remote  from  each  other. 

PLATE  XXXVII. 

A  leaf  of  one-third  of  its  natural  size.    Fig.  1.  A  section  of  tlie  hu-sk. 

Fig.  2.  Nats. 


III 


W'      '..li!! 


. 


iii  :i 


PIGNUT   HICKORY. 


'Tf 


.)uoLAN.s  PORCiNA.     J.  foliuUs  5-7"''',  ovalo-acumuuitis^  scrrads,  glabris; 

amcntis  mascuUs  compositis,  fdifurmihus,  glabris;  fnictu  jv/rifomni  xd 

globoso  ;  mice  minima,  Icvi,  durissimCi. 

Cdrya  porciiia.     Nutt. 

Tins  species  is  generally  known  in  the  United  States  by  the 
name  of  Pignut  and  Ilognut  Hickory;  sometimes  also  by  that 
of  Broom  Hickory.  The  first  of  these  names  is  most  commonly 
in  use;  the  others  are  known  only  in  some  districts  of  IVnn- 
svlvania,  and  i)articnlarly  in  the  county  of  Lancaster.  Ports- 
mouth in  New  Hampshire  may  be  considered  as  limiting,  toward 
the  north,  the  climate  of  this  tree.  A  little  farther  south  it  is 
abundant,  and  in  the  Atlantic  parts  of  the  Middle  States  it  helps, 
with  the  Mockeruut  Hickory,  White  Oak,  Swamp  White  Ouk, 
Sweet  Gum.  and  Dogwood,  to  form  the  mass  of  the  forests.  In 
the  Southern  States,  especially  near  the  coast,  it  is  less  connnon 
in  the  woods.  Ix'ing  found  only  on  the  borders  of  the  swamps 
and  in  places  which  are  wet  without  l)eing  al)solutely  marshy  or 
exposed  to  be  long  inundated.  This  tri-e  is  met  with  in  tlie 
Western  country,  but  less  iVefiuently,  T  believe,  than  the  Thicic 
Shelll)ark  and  Mockeruut  Hickories.  I  have  observed  that  tli«' 
last-mentioned  species  gi'ows  wh"rever  the  Pignut  is  found,  but 
that  the  Pignut  does  not  always  accompany  the  Mockenmt, 
which  is  satisded  with  a  less  substantial  soil.  This  renuu'k  I 
have  made  more  particidarly  in  tlie  lower  i)arts  of  Virginia,  of 
the  two  C'arolinas,  and  of  Cieorgia.  It  appears,  then.  that,  with 
the  exci'[)tion  of  the  States  of  \'(Miiiont  and  New  Hampshire,  of 
tlu"  district  of  Maine,  of  the  CeiK'see  country,  and  of  the  cold 
and  mountainous  tracts  along  the  whole  range  of  the  Aih'ghany 
Mountains,  this  tree  is  more  or  less  abundant  iu  the  forests 
throughout  the  United  States. 


Ifili 


glabris ; 
'formi  vel 

NUTT. 

s  by  the 

])y  tlmi 
jiuiuoiily 
of  IVmi- 
.     Ports- 
y,  toward 
)uth  it  is 
s  it  liolps, 
liitc  Ouk. 
;ests.     I II 
i  coiniuon 
e  swiirnps 
niirshy  or 
th  in   llie 
tlio  Tliiclc 
1  tliat  tli«' 
louiul.  but 
locki'nuit. 

rt'iiiiirk   I 
irjiinia.  ol' 

tbat.  with 
Mpsbiro,  of 
if  tlM'  cold 

AlU'jibaiiy 
tbc   fttri'wts 


* 

j          : 

1 

^i 

^ 


IP 


h 


3    ^ 


li 


I    i 

!  If*? 
I 


/'/.//■■ 


rioinil     llx  k(»IA 


ft! 


( ( 


m 


lit 


'hJ 


PIGNUT    HICKORY. 


133 


Tlie  Pignut  Hickory  ..i  one  of  the  largest  trees  of  the  United 
States.  It  grows  to  the  height  of  seventy  or  eighty  feet,  with  a 
diameter  of  three  or  four  feet.  In  the  winter,  when  stripped  of 
its  leaves,  it  is  easily  kno\»-n  hy  the  shoots  of  the  preceding 
summer,  which  are  brown,  less  than  half  as  large  as  those  of 
the  Mockernut  and  ShcUbark  Hickories,  and  terminated  by 
small  oval  buds.  At  this  season  it  is  easy  also  to  distinguish 
the  Bitternut  Hickory  by  its  naked  and  yellow  buds.  The  buds 
of  this  species,  as  in  the  other  Hickories  with  scaly  buds,  are 
more  than  an  inch  in  length  a  few  days  beibre  their  unfolding. 
The  inner  scales  are  the  largest,  and  of  a  reddish  color.  They 
do  not  fall  till  the  leaves  are  five  or  six  inches  long.  The 
leaves  are  compound,  and  vary  in  size  and  in  the  number  of 
leaflets,  according  to  the  moisture  and  fertility  of  the  soil.  In 
rich  grounds,  th*  y  are  eighteen  inches  long;  and  the  complete 
number  of  leaflets  is  three  pairs  with  an  odd  one.  The  leaflets 
are  four  or  live  inches  Imig,  acuminate,  serrate,  nearly  sessile, 
and  glabrous  oi"  .■■rao<ilh  on  Ijolli  sides.  On  vigorous  trees,  which 
grow  in  shady  exposures,  the  petiole  is  of  a  violet  color. 

The  male  anieuts  are  smooti'.  filiform,  flexible,  and  pendu- 
lous: they  are  two  inches  long,  ami  in  their  arrangement  re- 
semble those  of  the  other  iiickories.  The  female  flowers  are 
greenish,  not  very  conspicuous,  and  situated  at  the  extremity 
(■!'  the  shoot:  the  fruit  suc<*'i'iis  tln'Ui  in  pairs  as  often  as  singly. 
The  husk  is  thin  and  of  a  iKMutiful  gn  en  :  when  ripe,  it  opens 
through  half  its  length  for  the  passage  of  the  nut.  The  nut  is 
small,  smooth,  and  very  hard  on  acrcjunt  of  the  thickness  of  the 
shell.  Its  k(  •'-.el  is  sweet  but  meagre,  and  dillicult  to  extract, 
from  the  ii  :n.ness  of  the  [)artitions.  These  nuts  are  never 
carried  to  market,  but  siMve  for  i(n»l  lu  swine,  raccoons,  and 
the  numenuis  si)ecies  of  scpiirrels  which  people  the  forests. 

In  the  I'lgnut  Hickory,  the  form  and  si/e  of  the  nuts  vary 
more  than  in  the  other  species.  Some  are  oval,  and  when 
covered   with    their   husks    resemble   young    figs;    others   are 


Mi 


Ml! 


I    I 


I'l' 


i 


,ri;  :l 


(i  ::  .ij: 


134 


PIGNUT     HICKORY. 


broiidt'i'  tliiui  they  arc  long,  and  otiior.s  are  porreotly  round. 
Among  these  various  forms,  some  nuts  are  as  large  as  the  thumb 
and  others  not  bigger  than  the  little  finger.  Although  the 
same  tree  fields  fruit  of  the  same  form  every  year,  I  cannot, 
after  an  attentive  examination  of  the  young  shoots  and  of  the 
aments,  consider  these  diiferenees  in  any  other  light  than  as 
varieties.  The  two  most  remarkable  of  them  are  described  in 
the  new  edition  of  the  S2iccics  Plontaram,  by  Willdenow,  as  dis- 
tinct species.  That  with  oblong  fruit  is  called  Jiujlans  fjlahra, 
and  that  with  round  fruit  and  a  husk  somewhat  rough,  Jtujlana 
olxordata.  Dr.  Muhlenberg  admits  th'.-  distinction;  but,  with 
all  the  deference  which  1  owe  to  iiis  botanical  knowledge,  J. 
cannot  adopt  his  opinion. 

The  wood  of  the  Pignut  Hickory  resembles  that  of  the  other 
species  in  the  color  of  its  sap  and  of  its  heart:  it  possesses  also 
their  excellencies  and  their  defects.  I  have  convei'sed  with 
wheelwrights  in  the  country,  who  aflirnied  that  it  is  the  strong- 
est and  the  most  tenacious  of  the  Hickories,  and  who,  for  that 
reason,  preferred  it  to  any  other  for  axle-trees  and  axe-helves. 
These  considerations  lead  me  to  recommend  its  introduction 
into  the  fori'sts  of  Europe,  where  its  success  would  be  certain. 


PLATE  XXXVIII. 

A  branch  with  ?V.<!  lcarf.'>  of  onc'th'n'd  nf  thc%atiiral  size.  Fig.  1.  A  mit 
irith  its  hush;  {•''hlong  varicti/.)  Fi;].  2.  A  nut  icilhout  its  has/:.  Fig.  3. 
A  nut  with  its  hus/i,  {round  variety.)    Fig.  4.  A  nut  without  its  husk. 


m^M 


y  roiuul. 
le  tliuinl) 

3Ugh    tll<! 

I  cannot, 
tid  of  the 
;.  than  as 
bCi'ibed  in 
iw,  us  dis- 
ns  (jlahra, 
I,  Jnijlans 
but,  witli 
Avledge,  I 

the  otlxcr 
■iesses  also 
rsed  with 
:he  strong- 
0,  for  that 
ixe-helves. 
itroduction 
!  certain. 


'ig.  1.  A  nui 
isk.  Fig.  3. 
t  its  husk. 


|! 


R'i;  ii 


!      :| 
I 

I    ' 

i      ,: 

1     '! 


/'/.:!.. 


m 


I  *  ■ ' 


,v /./ 


NnliiK'ti'  llirk«>i;v  Nut  . 


1 


I'f.:i„. 


fl,:vii,  .  ill//' ' 


1^ ! 


m    I ) 


ml 


NUTMEG  HICKORY. 

JuoLANs  MYiasTic.T5F0R.Mis.     J,  fol'ds  quitiis,  foUolis  ocato-acumincdis,  ser- 
ratis,  fftahris:  fruclu  ovato,  scabriusculo ;  mice  m'mirnd,  durissbnd. 

Carya  niyristicKformis.     NuTT. 

No  specific  denomination  has  liltlierto  been  given  to  this 
species  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Middle  States,  to  wliich  it  is 
peculiar :    that  of   Nutmeg   Iiic'  which   I   have   formed, 

appears  sulliciently  appropriate,  iiuui  the  resemblance  of  its 
nuts  to  a  nutmeg. 

I  have  not  myself  found  this  tree  in  the  forests,  and  hence  I 
conclude  that  it  is  not  common.  It  is  true  I  had  not,  at  the 
period  of  my  residence  in  that  part  of  the  United  States,  con- 
ceived the  design  of  the  present  work,  and  did  not  devote  my- 
self entirely  to  the  researches  which  have  since  given  birth  to 
it.  I  am  acquainted  with  the  Nutmeg  Hickory  only  by  a 
branch  and  a  handful  of  nuts  given  me  at  Charleston,  in  the 
fall  of  1802,  by  the  gardener  of  Mr.  II.  Izard,  wliich  he  had 
gathered  in  a  swamp  on  his  master's  plantation  of  the  Elms,  in 
the  ])arisli  of  Goose  Creek.  From  this  specimen  alone  I  have 
included  the  tree  among  the  Hickories. 

The  leaves,  which  are  composed  of  four  or  six  leaflets  with 
an  odd  one,  are  symmetrically  arranged.  I  remarked  also  that 
the  shoots  of  the  preceding  year  were  flexijjle  and  coriaceous. 

The  nuts  are  very  small,  smooth,  and  of  a  brown  color,  marked 

with  lines  of  white ;  the  husk  is  thin,  and  somewhat  rough  on 

the  surface.     The  shell  is  so  thick  that  it  constitutes  two-thirds 

of  the  volume  of  the  nut,  which,  consequently,  is  extremely 

hard  and  has  a  minute  kernel.     The  fruit  is  inferior  even  to 

the  Pignut. 

I  suspi'ct  that  the  Nutmeg  Hickory  is  more  common  in  Lower 

i;i5 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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^m 


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1.25  III  1.4   1 1.6 
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Sciences 

Corporation 


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V 


;\ 


^^ 


V 


<^ 


33  WUT  MAIN  STRUT 
WIMTM.N.Y.  MSM 

(7U)  trausos 


o^ 


136 


RECAPITULATION. 


*l  ^H- 


V      'V. 


Louisiana  :'='  it  belongs  to  inquirers  who  engage  in  researches 
analogous  to  those  which  I  have  pursued  in  the  Atlantic  and 
Western  States,  to  study  this  tree  more  fully  than  I  have  been 
able  to  do,  and  to  complete  the  imperfect  description  which  I 
have  given  of  it. 

PLATE  XXXIX. 

A  branch  and  nut^  with  their  husks.     Fig.  1.  A  nut  without  its  husk. 


RECAPITULATION 


PROPERTIES    AND    USES 


HICKORY   WOOD. 


In  the  summary  introduction  to  the  History  of  the  Walnuts  • 
of  North  America,  it  was  remarked,  that  those  of  the  second 
section,  or  the  Hickories,  exhibit  great  variations  in  the  size  and 
shape  of  their  fruit,  in  the  ninnlier  of  leaflets  which  compose 
their  leaves,  and  in  their  general  appearance,  from  the  ell'ect  of 
soils  of  different  degrees  of  moistinv.  Hence  result,  in  many 
cases,  mutual  resemblance  so  striking,  that  a  person  not  familiar 
with  this  class  of  trees  might  easily  confound  distinct  species,  or 

*  In  the  iiitt'R'stiiii;  work  of  Mr.  W.  Darby  on  Ldui.siiinii,  ])ublislif(l  at  I'liilu- 
dflpliia  in  1S17,  tlu!  Niitnic^  llk-kory  is  said  to  abound  on  tlie  wator.s  of  Red 
Kiver  in  llie  MiNKiN!<i{i{ii  Ti-rritory.  V.  A.  M. 


RECAPITULATION. 


137 


describe  as  dlfferont  species  what  are  mere  varieties.  On  taking 
off  the  epidermis,  or  dead  part,  the  same  organization  is  ob- 
served in  the  bark  of  all  the  Hickories.  In  other  trees  the 
fibrous  and  the  ceUular  tissue  are  confounded;  here,  on  the 
contrary,  they  are  separate,  and  the  fibrous  is  reguhirly  disposed 
in  the  form  of  lozenges,  \vhich  are  smaller  in  young  trees  than 
in  such  as  are  more  fully  grown.  An  arrangement  so  peculiar 
and  remarkable  has  a  beautiful  eflect,  and  great  advantage 
might  Ixi  taken  of  it  in  cabinet-making,  if  this  bark  was  not, 
like  other  species,  liable  to  warp.  It  affords,  nevertheless,  an 
interesting  object  in  vegetable  physiology.  So  close  an  analogy 
exists  in  the  wood  of  these  trees,  that,  when  stripped  of  the  bark, 
no  difterence  is  discernible  in  the  grain,  which  is  coarse  and 
open  in  all,  nor  in  the  color  of  the  heart,  which  is  uniformly 
reddish.  To  these  conspicuous  properties  are  added  others 
worthy  of  remark,  which,  as  has  been  observed,  though  modi- 
fied in  the  several  species,  are  possessed  by  them  all  in  a  higher 
degree  than  by  any  other  tree  of  the  same  latitude  in  Europe  or 
America.  These  are — gi'eat  weight,  strength,  and  tenacity,  a 
speedy  decay  wlien  exposed  to  heat  and  moisture,  and  peculiar 
liability  to  injury  from  worms.  According  to  these  i)roininent 
excellencies  and  defects,  the  uses  of  their  wood  are  pretty  well 
determined,  and  to  these  uses  they  are  indiscriminately  applied. 
Hickory  timlier  is  employed  in  no  part  of  the  United  States 
in  the  building  of  houses,  because,  as  hiis  been  before  oljserved, 
it  is  too  heavy,  and  soon  becomes  worm-eaten.  But  if  its 
defects  forbid  its  employment  in  architecture,  its  good  qualities, 
on  the  other  hand,  adapt  it  to  niiiny  secondary  uses,  which 
could  nt)t  bo  as  well  subserved  by  any  other  wood.  Throughout 
the  Middle  States  it  is  selected  for  the  axle-trees,  of  carriages, 
for  the  handles  of  axes  and  other  carpenters'  tools,  and  for  large 
screws,  particularly  those  of  bookbinders'  presses.  The  cogs  of 
mill-wheels  are  made  of  Hickory  heart  thoroughly  seasoned;  but 

it  is  proper  only  for  such  wheels  as  are  not  exposed  to  moisture; 
1.— «» 


ua 


11 E  0  A  P  I  T  U  L  A  T  I  0  N. 


: ' 


i     h. 


and  for  this  reason  some  other  wood  is,  by  many  millwrights, 
preferred.  The  rods  which  form  the  back  of  Windsor  chairs, 
coach-whip  handles,  ramrods,  raice-teeth.  Hails  for  thrashing 
grain,  and  the  bows  of  ox-yokes, — all  these  are  objects  ordi- 
narily made  of  Hickory.  At  Baltimore  it  is  used  for  the  hoops 
t)f  sieves,  and  is  more  esteemed  than  the  White  Oak,  v.hich  is 
equally  elastic,  but  more  apt  to  peel  off  in  small  shreds  into  the 
substance  sifted.  In  the  country  near  Augusta  in  Georgia  I 
have  remarked  that  the  common  chairs  are  of  Hickory  wood. 
In  New  Jersey  it  is  employed  for  shoeing  of  sledges, — that  is, 
for  covering  the  runners  or  parts  which  slide  upon  the  snow; 
but  to  be  fit  for  this  use,  it  must  have  been  cut  long  enough  to 
have  become  perfectly  dry. 

Of  the  numerous  trees  of  North  America  east  of  the  Alleghany 
Mountains,  none  except  the  Hickory  is  perfectly  adapted  to  the 
making  of  hoops  for  casks  and  boxes.  For  this  purpose  vast 
quantities  of  it  are  consumed  at  home,  and  exported  to  the  West 
India  Islands.  The  hoops  are  made  of  young  Hickories  from 
six  to  twelve  feet  high,  without  choice  as  to  the  species.  The 
largest  hoop-poles  sold  at  Philadelphia  and  New  York  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1808,  at  three  dollars  a  hundred.  Each  pole  is  split  into 
two  parts,  and  the  hoop  is  crossed  and  fastened  by  notches, 
instead  of  being  bound  at  the  end  with  twigs,  like  those  made 
of  Chestnut.  From  the  solidity  of  the  wood,  this  method  is 
sufficiently  secure. 

When  it  is  ctmsidered  how  large  a  part  of  the  productions  of 
the  United  States  is  packed  for  exportation  in  barrels,  an  esti- 
mate may  be  formed  of  the  necessary  consumptitm  of  hoops.  In 
consequence  of  it,  young  trees  proper  for  tiiis  object  have  be- 
come scarce  in  all  parts  of  the  country  which  have  long  l)een 
nettled.  The  evil  is  greater  as  they  do  not  sprout  a  second  time 
from  the  same  root,  and  as  their  growth  is  slow.  The  c(jopi'r 
cannot  lay  up  a  store  of  them  for  future  use;  for,  unless  em- 
ployed witliin  a  year,  and  often  six  mcmths,  after  being  cut,  they 


RECAPITULATION. 


139 


wriglits, 
chairs, 
irashiug 
its  ordi- 
le  hoops 
\,hich  is 
into  the 
reorgla  I 
ry  ^vootl. 
-that  is, 
lie  snow; 
inough  to 

Alleghany 
ted  to  the 
I'posc  vast 

the  West 
nics  from 
;ies.  The 
rlc  in  Feb- 
i  split  into 
y  notches, 

lose  made 
method  is 

notions  of 
Is,  an  esti- 
loops.     In 
t  have  be- 
hmg  i)een 
looond  time 
riie  cooptT 
iinU'ss  em- 
ig  cut,  they 


are  attacked  by  two  s})ecies  of  inject;  one  of  these,  wliich  eats 
within  the  wood,  and  commits  ihe  greatest  ravages,  is  repre- 
sented on  the  plate  of  the  Mockernut  Hickory,  the  wood  of 
which  species  I  have  observed  to  be  peculiarly  liable  to  its 
attacks. 

The  defects  which  unfit  the  Hickory  for  use  in  the  building 
of  houses  equally  exclude  it  from  the  construction  of  vessels. 
At  New  York  and  Pliiladelphia,  the  iShellbark  and  Pignut 
Hickories  have  been  taken  lor  keels,  and  are  found  to  last  as 
long  as  those  of  other  wood,  owing  to  their  being  always  in  the 
water.  Of  the  two  species,  the  Pignut  would  be  preferable  as 
being  less  liable  to  sjjlit ;  but  it  is  rarely  found  of  as  large  di- 
mensions as  the  other. 

In  sloops  and  schooners,  the  rings  by  which  the  sails  are 
hoisted  and  confined  to  the  mast  are  always  of  Hickory.  I 
have  also  been  assured,  that  for  attaching  the  cordage  it  makes 
excellent  pegs,  which  are  stronger  than  those  of  Oak ;  but  they 
should  set  loosely  in  the  holes,  as  otherwise,  for  want  of  speedily 
seasoning,  they  soon  decay.  For  handspikes  the  Hickory  is 
particularly  esteemed  on  account  of  its  strength:  it  is  accord- 
ingly employed  in  most  American  vessels,  and  is  exported  ior 
the  same  purpose  to  England,  where  it  sells  from  50  to  100  per 
cent,  higher  than  Ash,  which  is  brought  also  from  the  north  of 
the  United  States.  The  Hickories  are  cut  witliout  distinction 
for  this  use;  but  the  Pignut,  I  believe,  is  the  best. 

All  the  Hickories  are  very  heavy,  and  in  a  given  volume 
contain  a  great  quantity  of  combustible  matter.  They  produce 
an  anient  heat,  and  leave  a  heavy,  compact,  and  long-lived  coal 
In  this  respect,  no  wood  of  the  same  latitude,  in  Europe  or 
America,  can  be  comi)ared  to  them:  such,  at  <least,  is  the 
opinion  of  all  Europeans  who  Inne  resided  in  the  United  States. 
At  New  York,  Philadel])hia,  and  Baltimore,  people  hi  easy  cir- 
cumstances burn  no  other  wood;  and,  though  it  is  sold  50  per 
cent,  higher  than  Oak,  it  is  found  pr()(ital)le  in  use.     It  sold  at 


M  ■ 


140 


R  E  C  A  P  I  T  U  L  A  T  I  0  X. 


'II 


m< 


New  York,  the  20th  of  October,  1807,  tit  fifteen  dolhirs  a  cord, 
and  Oiik  wood  at  ten  dolhirs.  From  its  superior  quality,  the 
Hickory  is  always  sold  separately.  I  have  noticed  that,  at 
New  York,  the  Shellbark  predominated  in  the  fuel,  and  at 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  the  Mockernut.  At  Baltimore, 
the  Shellbark,  easily  recognised  by  its  scaly  bark,  is  never  seen. 

Tlie  quantity  of  the  respective  species  of  Hickory  consumed 
in  the  cities  is  regulated  l)y  a  soil  and  climate  more  favorable  to 
one  than  another,  and  not  by  an  opinion  entertained  of  their 
comparative  excellence;  though  experience  shows  the  Mocker- 
luit  to  be  the  best,  and  the  Bitternut  the  poorest.  This  differ- 
ence, however,  is  too  slight  to  be  generally  regarded. 

Of  the  uses  to  which  the  Hickory  is  devoted  in  the  United 
States,  two  will  principally  contribute,  together  with  the  slow- 
ness of  its  growth,  to  its  entire  extermination:  these  are  the 
cutting  of  the  saplings  for  hoops  and  of  the  trees  for  fuel. 
These  considerations,  independently  of  many  accessory  causes, 
which  hasten  the  destruction  of  the  forests  in  this  part  of  the 
New  World,  lead  me  to  believe  that  in  less  than  lifty  years  they 
will  not  furnish  a  tenth  part  of  the  hoops  demanded  in  com- 
merce. Hence  arise  motives  suniciently  powerful  to  engage 
proprietors,  who  seek  to  preserve  their  forests  and  to  augment 
their  value,  to  multiply  in  them  the  most  useful  trees,  and 
especially  the  Hickories.  The  object  might  be  fully  attained 
by  planting  the  nuts,  previously  made  to  germinate  in  boxes 
filled  with  earth,  and  kept  moist  in  the  cellar.  The  success  of 
this  simple  method  is  certain.  It  would  be  advantageous,  al-so, 
to  plant  a  greater  number  than  tiie  soil  can  sustain,  that,  when 
the  poles  are  an  inch  in  diameter,  a  part  of  them  may  be  cut 
for  hoops,*  while  the  rest  are  left  to  grow  for  fuel,  or  for  other 
uses  to  which  the  Hickory  is  appropriate. 


*  [Or  fur  Wiilkiiijj-stit'kH,  for  wliidi  tlic  t'oiisumptioii  is  cuiisiduriiWo,  and  the 
iJeiimii(l  coiiHtiiiitly  iiicreu.siii^.     Hmkhskn  :  "  Troon  iiml  Shnib.M  of  Miisxiiohusetts."] 


I    ii 


RECAPITULATION. 


141 


It  has  been  seen,  by  what  precedes,  that,  though  the  Hickory 
wood  has  essential  defects,  they  are  compensated  by  good  pro- 
perties which  render  it  valuable  in  the  arts,  and  which  entitle 
it  to  the  attention  of  Europeans, — above  all,  as  a  combustible. 
Though  its  growth  is  slow  during  its  early  years,  it  should  form 
a  part  of  our  forests.  But  I  doubt  whether  this  can  be  effected 
except  by  planting  nuts  in  the  woods;  for  the  trees,  even  when 
very  young,  with  difficulty  survive  transplantation.  Before 
they  are  three  lines  in  diameter  and  eighteen  inches  tall,  they 
have  a  tap-root  three  feet  long  and  destitute  of  fibres.  Hence, 
it  has  happened  that,  of  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  young 
plants  produced  by  nuts  Avhich  I  have  at  different  times  sent  to 
France,  very  few  are  found  alive.  They  have  perished  in  tlie 
removal  from  the  nursery,  or  in  the  second  transplantation  to 
the  place  of  their  ultimate  destination.  The  Black  Walnut  and 
Bitternut,  on  the  contrary,  whose  roots  do  not  descend  deeply 
jind  are  plentifully  garnished  witli  fibres,  easily  recover  after 
transplantation,  even  when  six  or  eight  feet  high  at  the  time  of 
their  removal. 

In  concluding  this  article,  I  recommend  particularly  for  pro- 
pagation in  European  forests  the  Shellbark  Hickory  and  the 
Pignut  Hickory,  whose  wood  unites  in  the  highest  degree  the 
valuable  properties  of  the  group.  I  think,  also,  that  the  Pecan- 
nut  merits  attention  from  promoters  of  useful  culture,  not  so 
much  for  its  wood  as  for  its  fruit,  which  is  excellent,  and  more 
delicate  than  that  of  the  European  Walnut.  It  might  probably 
be  doubled  in  size  if  the  practice  was  successfully  adopted  of 
grafting  this  species  upon  the  Black  Walnut  or  upon  the  Com- 
mon European  Walnut. 


i 


MAPLES. 


Bill 


n 


n 


Of  the  species  which  compose  this  genus,  the  number  known 
is  ah'eady  considerable,  and  will  probably  be  augmented  by  the 
future  researches  of  Botanists,  especially  on  the  continent  of 
North  America. 

The  Maples,  ia  general,  are  lofty  and  beautiful  trees.  One 
of  their  principal  characters  consists  in  opposite  leaves  divided 
into  several  very  distinct  lobes.  Capable  of  enduring  an  intense 
degree  of  cold,  they  form,  in  the  north  of  the  Old  and  of  the 
New  Continent,  extensive  forests,  which,  with  those  of  the 
Beech,  appear  to  succeed  the  Spruce,  the  Larch,  and  the  Pine, 
and  to  precede  the  Chestnut  and  the  Oak.  Such,  at  least,  seems 
to  be  in  Amei'ica,  between  the  43d  and  4Gth  degrees  of  latitude, 
the  place  assigned  by  nature  to  the  true  Sugar  Maple. 

The  species  of  Maples  hitherto  described  amount  to  fourteen, 

of  which  seven  belong  to  Europe  and  seven  to  North  America. 

Among  these  last  I  have  not  included  the  Dwarf  Red  Maple, 

Acer  cocdncnm,  which  is  a  diminutive  species,  and  concerning 

which  I  do  not  possess  adequate  materials  for  a  description.     It 

abounds  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  has  always  been  confounded  with 

the  pi'oper  Eed  Maple;    I  have  also  observed  it  in  the  upper 

parts  of  New  Hampshire.     It  scarcely  exceeds  twelve  or  eighteen 

feet  in  height,  and  its  tiowers  and  seeds  are  of  a  more  vivid  red 

than  those  of  the  Eed  Maple.     The  Black  Sugar  Maple  grows 

to  about  the  same  height  with  the  Sugar  Maple,  but  it  is  plainly 

a  distinct  species.     In  the  collection  of  dried  plants  made  by 

Captains  Lewis  and  Clarke  during  their  journey  to  the  South 
142 


MAPLES. 


143 


31'  known 
ed  by  the 
tinent  of 

ees.  One 
es  divided 
m  intense 
nd  of  the 
se  of  the 
the  Pine, 
;ast,  seems 
f  latitude, 

)  fourteen, 
America, 
ed  Maple, 
concerning 
iption.     It 
nded  with 
the  upper 
ar  eighteen 
.>  vivid  red 
aple  grows 
t  is  plainly 
s  made  by 
the  South 


Sea,  I  saw  specimens  of  a  beautiful  Maple  from  the  banks  of 
Columbia  River. 

From  this  brief  summary  it  results  that  the  North  American 
species  are  more  numerous  than  those  of  Europe.  The  wood 
of  the  Maples  differs  so  widely  in  quality  in  different  species, 
that  it  becomes  difficult  to  characterize  it  by  genei'al  observa- 
tions :  it  may  be  remarked,  that  it  speedily  ferments  and  decays 
when  exposed  to  the  weather,  that  it  is  liable  to  be  injured  by 
v.">rms,  and  that  hence  it  is  unfit  for  building.  It  possesses  pro- 
perties, however,  which  compensate  in  part  for  these  defects, 
and  which  render  it  useful  in  the  arts  and  in  domestic  economy. 
For  more  particular  information  I  must  refer  the  reader  to  the 
descriptions  of  the  respective  species. 

\_Pt'opagatlon  and  culture.  The  Acerdccce  prefer  a  free,  deep, 
loamy  soil,  rich  rather  than  sterile,  and  neither  wet  nor  very 
dry.  The  situation  that  suits  them  best  is  one  that  is  sheltered, 
and  shady  rather  than  exposed.  They  arc  seldom  found  on  the 
north  sides  of  lofty  mountains,  or  on  mountains  at  all,  except 
among  other  trees;  but  in  the  plains  they  are  found  by  them- 
selves. Though  the  species  only  attain  perfection  in  favorable 
soils  and  situations,  they  will  spring  up  and  live  in  any  situation 
whatever. 

They  are  chiel'/  propagated  from  seeds;  but  some  sorts  are 
increased  by  layers,  cuttings  of  the  shoots  or  roots,  or  by  budding 
or  grafting.  The  seeds  of  most  of  the  species  ripen  in  October, 
and  may  be  gathered  by  hand,  or  shaken  from  the  tree,  when 
the  keys  begin  to  turn  brown.  The  maturity  of  the  seed  may 
be  proved  by  opening  the  key  and  observing  if  the  cotyledons 
are  green,  succulent,  and  fresh;  if  the  green  colpr  is  wanting, 
the  seeds  are  good  for  nothing.  The  seeds  may  be  sown  either 
in  autumn  or  in  spring;  the  latter  is  preferable  where  moles 
abound,  as  they  are  very  fond  of  the  seeds.  Sown  in  spring, 
they  come  up  in  five  or  six  weeks,  with  the  exception  of  Acer 


lli  i '  t 


144 


MAPLES. 


•in 


campedre,  which  never  grow  till  the  second  or  third  year.  The 
seeds  should  not  be  covered  with  more  than  from  a  quarter  to 
half  an  inch  of  soil.  The  surface  of  the  ground  in  which  they 
are  sown  may  be  advantageously  shaded  with  leaves,  fronds  of 
firs,  or  straw. 

The  Acer  argenteum,  or  Silvery-leaved,  and  Acer  nibrum,  or 
Scarlet  Maple,  perfect  their  seeds  in  May ;  and  these  should  be 
sown  immediately  after  having  been  collected :  they  will  vege- 
tate directly,  and  produce  fine  plants  the  first  season,  if  kept 
free  from  weeds.  The  seeds  of  the  former  do  not  keep  well  till 
spring.]  * 

*  [For  a  large  additional  list  of  Maples,  see  Nuttall's  Supplement,  vol.  ii.  p.  24 
et  seq.  Many  of  these  are  deserving  of  the  attention  of  our  planters;  especially 
the  large-leaved  Maple,  sometimes  ninety  feet  high,  with  leaves  nearly  a  foot  in 
diameter,  aflFording  an  impervious  and  complete  shade.  See  also  Emerson's  "  Trees 
and  Shrubs  of  Massachusetts,"  p.  481.] 


.}■'■: 


II 


METHODICAL  DISPOSITION 


OF    THE 


MAPLES  or  NORTH  AMERICA, 


INCI.UDl.VQ 


TWO  EUROPEAN  SPECIES. 


Polyandria  dioecia,  Linn.     Acera,  Juss. 

First  Section. 
Sessile  fowcrs.    {Fructification  vernal.) 

1.  White  Maple Acer  erwcarpum. 

2.  Eed-flowering  Maple   ....        Acer  riihrum. 

Second  Section. 
Pedunculated  flowers.     {Fructification  autumnal.) 

3.  Sugar  Maple Acer  saccharinum. 

4.  Black  Sugar  Maple      ....        Acer  nigrum. 

5.  Norway  MaiDle Acer  platartoicles. 

0.  Sycamore Acer  pseiido-platanua. 

7.  Moose  Wood Acer  striatum. 

8.  Box  Elder Acer  negundo. 

9.  Mountain  Maple Acer  montantum. 

Vo,..  i.-io  145 


m 


WHITE   MAPLE. 


I 


I  I 


i!    ; 


l-l ' 


Acer  ekiocarpum.    A.  foliis  oppositls,  qidnquelobis,  i^rofandb  sumatis, 
inaqualiicr  dcntatls,  subtus  candidissimis :  jlorlbas  pcntandris,  apeialia. 

Acer  dasycarpuiii.     Ehrenberq. 

In  the  Atlantic  parts  of  the  United  States,  this  species  is 
often  confounded  with  the  Red  Maple,  which  it  nearly  resem- 
bles; west  of  the  mountains,  they  are  constantly  distinguished, 
and  the  Acer  eriocarjjum  is  known  by  no  other  name  than  White 
Maple. 

The  banks  of  Sandy  River  in  the  district  of  Maine,  and  those 
of  the  Connecticut  near  Windsor  in  Vermont,  are  the  most 
northern  points  at  which  I  have  seen  the  White  Maple.  But, 
like  many  other  vegetables,  it  is  pinched  by  the  rigorous  win- 
ters of  this  latitude,  and  never  reaches  the  size  which  it  attains 
a  few  degrees  farther  south.  It  is  found  on  the  banks  of  all  the 
rivers  Avhich  flow  from  the  mountains  to  the  ocean,  though  it  is 
less  common  along  the  streams  which  water  the  southern  pafts 
of  the  Carolinas  and  of  Georgia.  In  no  part  of  the  United 
States  is  it  more  multiplied  than  in  the  Western  country,  and 
nowhere  is  its  vegetation  more  luxuriant  than  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio  and  of  the  great  rivers  which  emp^y  into  it.  There, 
sometimes  alone,  and  sometimes  mingled  with  the  Willow, 
which  is  found  along  all  these  waters,  it  contributes  singularly 
by  its  magnificent  foliage  to  the  embellishment  of  the  scene. 
The  brilliant  white  of  the  leaves  beneath  forms  a  striking  con- 
trast with  the  bright  green  above;  and  the  alternate  reflection 
of  the  two  surfaces  in  the  water  heightens  the  beauty  of  this 
wonderful  moving  mirror,  and  aids  in  forming  an  enchanting 

picture,  which,  during  my  long  excursions  in  a  canoe  in  these 
140 


nd&  sinuaiis, 
f,  apdalis. 

HRENBERQ. 

species  is 
irly  resem- 
tinguislietl, 
tlian  Wliite 

!,  and  those 
Q  the  most 
aple.     But, 
gorous  win- 
!h  it  attains 
is  of  all  the 
though  it  is 
itliern  paj'ts 
the  United 
:ountry,  and 
he  banks  of 
( it.     There, 
the  Willow, 
!S  singularly 
f  the  scone, 
striking  con- 
ite  reflection 
aauty  of  this 
I  enchanting 
noe  in  these 


I=.!i 


ifi!is:  I 


K  ■ :         'r 


'I   4 


I  ! 


A,.  .„  ,/,/ 


While     MipK   , 
Ifif  ii  (i'i  iiri'iuii 


1 1j 


II 


W  II I  T  E     M  A  P  L  E. 


147 


regions  of  solituile  and  silence,  I  contemplated  with  unwearied 
admiration.  Beginning  at  Pittsburg,  and  even  some  miles  above 
the  junction  of  the  rivers  Alleghany  and  Monongahela,  White 
Maples  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  circumference  are  continually 
met  with  at  short  distances. 

The  trunk  of  this  tree  is  low,  and  divides  into  a  great  nuiuljer 
of  limbs,  so  divergent  that  they  form  a  head  more  spacious  than 
that  of  any  other  tree  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  It  is 
worthy  of  remarlc,  that  the  White  Maple  is  found  on  the  banlis 
of  such  rivers  only  as  have  limpid  waters  and  a  gravelly  bed, 
and  never  in  swamps  and  otlier  wet  grounds  enclosed  in  forests, 
where  the  soil  is  black  and  miry.  These  situations,  on  the  con- 
trary, are  so  well  adapted  to  the  Red  Maple  that  they  arc  fre- 
quently occupied  by  it  exclusively.  Hence  the  last-mentioned 
species  is  common  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  Carolinas  and 
of  Georgia,  wdiero  the  White  Maple  is  no  longer  seen;  for  as 
soon  as  the  rivers,  in  descending  from  the  mountains  toward 
the  ocean,  reach  the  low  country,  they  begin  to  be  bordered 
by  miry  swamps  covered  with  the  Cypress,  Blackgum,  Largo 
Tupelo,  etc. 

The  White  Maple  blooms  early  in  the  spring :  its  flowers  are 
small  and  sessile,  with  a  downy  omrtitm.  The  fruit  is  larger 
thiin  that  of  any  other  species  which  grows  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. It  consists  of  two  capsules  joined  at  the  base,  each  of 
which  encloses  one  roundish  seed,  and  is  terminated  by  a  largo 
membranaceous,  falciform  wing.  In  Pennsylvania,  it  is  ripe 
about  the  1st  of  May,  and  a  month  earlier  on  the  Savannah 
Kiver  In  Georgia.  At  this  period,  the  leaves  which  have 
attained  half  their  size  are  very  downy  underneath ;  a  month 
later,  when  fully  grown,  tliey  are  jjcrfectly  smooth.  They'  are 
opposite  and  supi)orted  by  long  petioles;  they  are  divided  l)y 
deep  sinuses  into  four  lobes,  are  toothed  on  the  edges,  of  a 
blight   green   on   tlie    upper  surface,  and  of  a  lu'autlful   white 


148 


WHITE     MAPLE. 


'W- 


:ll 


if  . 


beneath.     The  foliage,  however,  is  scattered,  and  leaves  an  open 
passage  to  the  sunbeams. 

The  wooc^i  of  this  Maple  is  very  white,  and  of  a  fine  grain ; 
but  it  is  softer  and  lighter  than  that  of  the  other  species  in  the 
United  States,  and,  from  its  want  of  strength  and  durability,  it 
is  little  used.  Wooden  bowls  are  sometimes  made  of  it  when 
Poplar  cannot  be  procured.  At  Pittsburg,  and  in  the  neighbor- 
ing towns,  it  serves  in  cabinet-making,  instead  of  Holly,  for 
inlaying  furnitui'e  of  Mahogany,  Cherry-tree,  and  Walnut: 
though,  as  it  soon  changes  color,  it  is  less  fitted  for  this  purpose. 
The  hatters  of  Pittsbui-g  prefer  the  charcoal  of  this  wood  to 
every  other  for  heating  their  Ijoilor,  as  it  affords  a  heat  more 
uniform  and  of  longer  continuance.  Some  of  the  inhabitants 
on  the  Ohio  make  sugar  of  its  sap,  by  the  same  process  which 
is  employed  with  the  Sugar  Maple.  Like  the  Red  Maple,  it 
yields  but  half  the  product  from  a  given  measure  of  sap ;  but 
the  unrefined  sugar  is  whiter  and  more  agreeable  to  the  taste 
than  that  of  the  Sugar  Maple.  The  sap  is  in  motion  earlier  in 
tMs  specie.^  than  in  the  Sugar  Maple,  beginning  to  ascend  about 
i Lie  loth  of  January;  so  that  the  work  of  extrneting  the  sugar 
IS  sooner  completed.  The  cellular  tissue  rapidly  produces  a 
black  precipitate  with  sulphate  of  iron. 

In  all  parts  of  the  United  States  where  this  tree  abounds, 
many  others  are  found  of  superior  value.  Its  secondary  con- 
sequence is  evinced  by  the  unimportant  uses  to  which  it  is 
devoted. 

In  Europe,  the  White  Maple  is  uniltiplied  in  nurseries  and 
gardens.  Its  rapid  growth  aflbrds  hopes  of  cultivating  it  with 
profit  in  this  quarter  of  the  world,  which  is  less  ridi  in  the 
diversity  of  its  species.  In  forming  plantations,  more  care  than 
liaa  hitherto  been  taken  should  Ik*  paid  to  the  choice  of  the 
ground,  which  should  he  constantly  moist,  or  exposed  to  annual 
inundations:  in  such  situations  its  vegetation  would  be  sur 
prisingly  beautiful  an'l  rapid. 


es  an  open 


fine  grain; 
2cies  in  the 
urability,  it 
of  it  when 
e  neighbor- 
Holly,  for 
A   Wahiut: 
his  purpose, 
liis  wood  to 
I  heat  more 
inhabitants 
rocess  which 
2d  Maple,  it 
of  sap;  but 
to  the  taste 
on  earlier  in 
ascend  about 
ng  the  sugar 
r  produces  a 

tree  abounds, 
icondary  con- 
)  which  it  is 

nurseries  and 
vating  it  with 
■<s  rich  in  the 
iiore  care  than 
choice  of  the 
osed  to  annual 
would  be  sur 


IUi\ 


^^.1 


I 


RED-FLOWERING    MAPLE. 


149 


PLATE   XL. 

A  bramh  with  leaves  of  the  natural  size.     Fig.  1.  Barren  flowers.    Fir;.  2. 
Fertile  J  ncers.     Fig.  3.  A  seed  of  the  natural  size. 

[For  measurements  of  several  White  Maples,  see  Emerson's 
"Trees  and  Shrubs  of  Massachusetts,"  p.  489.] 


;i 


RED-FLOWERING   MAPLE. 

Acer  rubrum.  A.  fuliis  oppositis,  trilohis,  inccqualiter  dentatis,  subtus 
glaucis;  floribus  rubris,  aggregatis;  germine  glaberrimo;  umbellis  ses- 
silibus;  cajjsulis  rubris,  pcdunculatis. 

Different  names  are  given  to  this  tree  in  different  parts  of 
the  United  States  :  east  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  it  is  called 
Red-flowering  Maple,  Swamp  Maple,  and  Soft  Maple ;  in  the 
Western  country,  simply  Maple.  The  first  denomination, 
which  is  most  generally  in  use,  is  also  most  appropriate,  as  the 
young  shoots,  the  flowers,  and  the  fruit  are  red. 

Toward  the  North,  the  Red-flowering  Maple  appears  first 
about  Malabaie  in  Canada,  in  latitude  48° ;  but  it  soon  becomes 
more  common  in  proceeding  southward,  and  is  found  abundant 
to  the  exti-emities  of  Florida  and  Lower  Louisiana.  Of  all  the 
trees  which  flourish  in  wet  grounds  occasionally  overflowed, 
this  species  is  most  multiplied  in  the  Middle  and  Southern 
States.  It  occupies,  in  great  part,  the  box'ders  of  the  creeks, 
and  abounds  in  all  the  swamps  which  are  often  < inundated  and 
always  miiy.  In  these  situations  it  is  accompanied  by  the 
Blackgum,  Sweetgum.  Sliellbark  Hickory,  Swamp  White  Oak, 
Black  Ash,  and  White  Ash.  To  these  are  added,  in  the  Cai'o- 
linas  and  Cfeorgia,  the   small   Miignolia  or  Swamp   Bay,  the 


:r!l 


J 


150 


RED-FLOWERING    MAPLE. 


i'im 


BH2i 


Water  Oak,  Loblolly  Bay,  Tupelo,  and  Red  Bay.  It  is  a 
remarkable  fact,  that  Avost  of  the  mountains,  between  Bx'owns- 
ville  and  Pittsburg,  the  Red-flowering  Maple  m  seen  growing  on 
elevated  ground  with  the  Oaks  and  the  Walnuts.  I  have  no- 
where observed  it  of  as  ample  dimensions  as  in  Pennsylvania 
and  New  Jersey :  in  these  States  exist  extensive  marshes, 
called  Maple  swamps,  exclusively  covered  with  it,  where  it  is 
found  seventy  feet  high  and  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter. 

The  Red-flowering  Maple  is  the  earliest  tree  whose  bloom 
announces  the  return  of  spring;  it  is  in  flower  near  New  York 
from  the  10th  to  the  15th  of  April.  The  blossoms,  of  a  beau- 
tifully-deep red,  unfold  more  than  a  fortnight  before  the  leaves. 
They  ai'e  sessile,  aggregate,  and  situated  at  the  extremity  of  the 
branches.  The  fruit  is  suspended  by  long  flexible  peduncles, 
and  is  of  the  same  hue  Avith  the  flowers,  though  it  varies  in  size 
and  in  the  intensity  of  its  coloring-,  according  to  the  exposure 
and  dampness  of  the  soil.  The  leaves  are  smaller  than  those 
of  the  preceding  species,  but  in  some  respects  they  resemble 
them.  They  arc  glaucous  or  whitish  underneath,  and  are  pal- 
mated  or  divided  into  three  or  four  acuminate  lobes,  irregularly 
toothed.  The  extremities  of  this  tree,  which  are  formed  by 
numerous  tAvigs  united  at  the  base,  have  a  remarkable  appear- 
ance Avhen  garnished  Avith  floAvers  and  seeds  of  a  deep  red,  before 
vegetation  has  begun  generally  to  reviA^e. 

Before  the  Red-floAvering  Maple  exceeds  tAventy-fiA'e  or  thirty' 
feet  in  height  and  seven  or  eight  inches  in  diameter,  its  bark  is 
perfectly  smooth,  and  marked  Avith  Avliite  l.)lotches,  by  AA'liich  it 
is  easily  distinguishable.  Afterward,  the  trunk,  like  that  of 
the  White  Oak  and  SAveet  Cum,  ])ecomos  brown  and  chapped. 
In  this  tree,  as  in  others  Avliich  groAV  in  AA-et  places,  the  sap  boars 
a  large  proportion  to  the  heart,  if  indeed  the  name  of  heart  can 
properly  be  giAon  to  the  irregular  star  Avhich  occupies  the  centre 
of  large  trunks,  Avith  points  from  one  to  three  inches  iu  length 
■projecting  into  the  sap. 


11  ED-FLO  WE  RING    MAPLE. 


151 


The  wood  of  the  Eod-Howcviiig  Maple  is  applicable  to  interest- 
ing uses.  It  is  harder  than  that  of  the  White  jVIaplo,  and  of  a 
finer  and  closer  grain :  hence,  it  is  easily  wrought  in  the  lathe, 
and  acquires  by  polishing  a  glossy  and  silken  surface.  It  is 
sufficiently  solid,  and  for  many  purposes  it  is  preferred  by  work- 
men to  other  kinds  of  wood.  It  is  principally  employed  for  the 
lower  part  of  Windsor  chairs:  the  pieces  are  turned  in  the 
country,  and  so  considerable  is  the  demand,  that  boats  laden 
with  them  arrive  at  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  where  an  ex- 
tensive manufacture  is  carried  on  for  the  consumption  of  the 
neighboring  towns,  and  for  exportation  to  the  Southei'n  States 
and  to  the  West  India  Islands.  The  whole  frame  of  japanned 
chairs  is  of  this  wood,  except  the  back,  for  which  Hickory  is 
chosen  on  account  of  its  superior  strength  and  elasticity.  The 
frame,  the  nave,  and  the  spokes  of  spinning-wheels  are  made  of 
it:  at  Philadelphia  it  is  exclusively  employed  for  saddletrees, 
and  in  the  country  it  is  preferred  for  yokes,  and  also  for  shovels 
and  wooden  dishes,  which  are  brought  to  market  and  purchased 
bv  the  dealei-s  in  wooden  ware. 

It  sometimes  happens  that,  in  very  old  trees,  the  grain,  instead 
of  following  a  perpendicular  direction,  is  undulated,  and  this 
variety  bears  the  name  of  Curled  Maple.  This  singular  arrange- 
ment, of  which  I  am  able  to  assign  no  cause,  is  never  witnessed 
in  young  trees  nor  in  the  branches  of  such  as  exhibit  it  in  the 
trunk;  it  is  also  less  conspicuous  at  the  centre  than  near  the 
circumference.  Trees  offering  this  disposition  are  rare,  and  do 
not  exist  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  a  hundred.  The  serpentine 
direction  of  the  fibre,  which  renders  them  difficidt  to  split  and 
to  work,  produces,  in  the  hands  of  a  skilful  mechanic,  the  most 
beautiful  effects  of  light  and  shade.  These  effects  are  rendered 
more  striking  if,  after  smoothing  the  surface  of  the  wood  with  a 
double-ironed  plane,  it  is  rubbed  with  a  little  sulphuric  acid  and 
afterward  anointed  with  linseed-oil.  On  examining  it  atten- 
tively, the  varying  shades  are  found  to  be  owing  entirely  to  the 


! 


<  M 


152 


RED-FLOWERING    MAPLE. 


t 


inflection  of  the  rays  of  light,  which  is  more  sensibly  perceived 
in  viewing  it  in  different  directions  by  candle-light. 

Before  Mahogany  became  generally  fashionable  in  the  United 
States,  the  most  beautiful  furniture  was  of  Red-flowering  Maple, 
and  bedsteads  are  still  made  of  it,  which,  in  richness  of  lustre, 
exceed  the  finest  Mahogany.  At  Boston  some  cabinet-makers 
saw  it  into  thin  plates  for  inlaying  Mahogany.  But  the  most 
constant  use  of  the  Curled  Maple  is  for  the  stocks  of  fowling- 
pieces  and  riiles,  which  to  elegance  and  lightness  unite  a  solidity 
resulting  from  the  accidental  direction  of  the  fibre. 

The  cellular  tissue  of  the  Red-flowering  Maple  is  of  a  dusky 
red.  By  boiling,  it  yields  a  purplish  color,  which,  on  the  addi- 
tion of  sulphate  of  iron,  becomes  dark  blue,  approaching  to 
black.  It  is  used  in  the  country,  with  a  certain  portion  of  alum 
in  solution,  for  dyeing  black. 

The  wood  of  the  Red-flowering  Maple  does  not  burn  well,  and 
is  so  little  esteemed  for  fuel  that  it  is  rarely  brought  into  the 
cities. 

The  French  Canadians  make  sugar  from  the  sap  of  this 
Maple,  which  they  call  Plaine;  but,  as  in  the  preceding  species, 
the  product  of  a  given  measure  is  only  half  as  great  as  is 
obtained  from  the  Sugar  Maple. 

It  should  be  observed  that  the  Red-flowering  Maple  never 
attains  its  full  dimensions  except  in  swamps  where  the  bottom  is 
composed  of  fertile  soil.  When  the  population  of  the  country 
becomes  denser,  these  tracts  will  be  cleared  and  improved  by 
eome  mode  of  culture  more  profitable  than  the  growth  of  woods, 
and  especially  of  this  species,  which  is  fit  neither  for  the  uses 
of  the  wheelwright  nor  for  any  other  solid  work;  for  it  possesses 
little  strength,  is  liable  to  injury  from  worms,  and  ferments  and 
speedily  decays  when  exposed  to  the  alternations  of  dryness  and 
moisture.  Though  at  present  it  is  extensively  used,  its  import- 
ance in  the  arts  is  not  such  as  to  entitle  it  to  preservation,  and 
it  will  doubtless  one  djiy  become  rare.     When  the  period  arrives 


I 


y  perceived 


the  United 
ring  Maple, 
is  of  lustre, 
Inet-makers 
X  the  most 
of  fowliug- 
te  a  solidity 

of  a  dusky 
n  the  addi- 
roaching  to 
tion  of  alum 

rn  well,  and 
jht  into  the 

sap  of  this 
ling  species, 
great  as  is 

laple  never 
he  bottom  is 
the  country 
mprovcd  by 
th  of  woods, 
for  the  uses 
c  it  possesses 
erments  and 
dryness  and 
1,  its  import- 
!rvation,  find 
eriod  arrives 


i 


\\\  II 


lil 


!  i 


i:i!  I 


i  ':     1 


H   r  n^ffoit  J^f 


('ittm/  .inf' 


n.^2 


(•iitrifi  ■■■ii>{l' 


SUGAR    MAPLE. 


153 


that  it  is  necessary  in  tlio  United  States,  as  in  Europe,  to  renew 
the  forests,  or  to  preserve  those  which  have  escaped  destruction, 
the  American  forester  will  find  among  the  Oaks,  the  Walnuts, 
and  the  Ashes,  many  species  more  d.'serving  of  his  care.  The 
Sugar  Maple  also  will  be  pi-eferred,  Avhich  grows  on  uplands,  and 
possesses  in  a  superior  degree  all  the  good  properties  of  the 
other.  From  these  considerations,  the  Ked-flowcring  Maple  ap- 
pears to  have  no  pretensions  to  a  place  in  European  forests.* 

PLATE  XLI. 

A  branch  with  leaves  of  the  natural  size.    Fig.  1.  Barren  flowers.     Fig.  2. 
Fertile  flowers.    Fig.  3.  &■«/«  of  the  natural  size. 


SUGAR  MAPLE. 

Acer  SACcnARiNUM.    A.  foliis  quinquc  ixirtito-palmatis,  glubris,  viargine 
integris,  sublus  glaueis ;  floribus  jmlunculatis,  pemkntibus. 

This  species,  the  most  interesting  of  the  American  Maples,  is 
called  Rock  Maple,  Hard  iMaple,  and  Sugar  Ma[)le.  The  first 
of  these  names  is  most  generally  in  use;  but  I  have  i)reserved 
the  last,  because  it  indicates  one  of  the  most  valuable  properties 
of  the  tree. 

According  to  my  father's  researches  into  the  to])()graphy  of 
American  vegetables,  the  Sugar  Majde  begins  a  little  n(trth  of 
Lake  St.  John  in  Canada,  near  the  4Sth  degree  of  latitude, 
which,  in  the  rigor  of  its  winter,  corresponds  to  the  OStli  degree 


*  [Spp  Emorson'«  "Troos  nnd  SlmiKs  of  Mussiiclinfiotts"  for  somo  nilditionnl 

piirticulurs,  niul  for  reiiKiikx  on  tlic  inituiniiiil  color  of  loaves,  in  wliii'li  it  is  lutHortcl 

tlmt  frost  lias  very  little  influence  o.i  tliciu] 
1.— 10* 


l.",4 


SUGAR    MAPLE. 


'.I   ',li' 


in  Europe.  It  is  nowhere  more  abundant  than  between  the 
iCth  and  43d  degrees,  which  comprise  Canada,  New  Brunswick, 
Nova  Scotia,  the  States  of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  and 
the  district  of  Maine;  in  these  regions  it  enters  hxrgely  into  the 
composition  of  the  forests  with  which  they  are  still  covered. 
Farther  south,  it  is  common  only  in  Genesee  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  in  the  upper  parts  of  Pennsylvania.  It  is  esti- 
mated by  Dr.  Rush,  that,  in  the  northern  parts  of  these  two 
States,  there  are  ten  million  of  acres  which  produce  these  trees 
in  the  proportion  of  thirty  to  an  acre.  Indeed,  I  have  noticed, 
in  traversing  these  districts,  large  masses  of  woods  formed  of 
them  almost  exclusively.  In  Genesee,  however,  a  great  part  of 
the  Maples  behmg  to  a  species  whicli  I  shall  describe,  which  has 
hitherto  been  confounded  by  botanists  with  the  Sugar  Majjle. 

In  the  lower  parts  of  Virginia,  of  the  Carolinas,  and  of 
Georgia,  and  likewise  in  the  Mississippi  Territory,  this  tree  is 
unknown  or  very  rare.  It  is  rapidl}'  disappearing  from  the 
forests  about  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  wlu're  it  is  no  longer 
drained  for  sugar,  but  is  felled  for  fuel  and  other  purposes. 

Between  the  parallels  mentioned  as  bounding  the  tracts  where 
this  tree  is  most  abundant,  the  forests  do  not  resemble  those  of 
a  more  southern  latitude:  they  are  composed  of  two  different 
descriptions  of  trees  divided  into  two  great  classes,  which  alter- 
nately occupy  the  soil,  and  which  exist  in  nearly  equal  propor- 
tions. The  first  class  comprises  the  resinous  trees,  such  as  Pines 
and  Spruces,  and  covers  the  low  grounds  and  the  liottoms  of  the 
valleys;  these  forests  arc  called  lihtch-vond  laxds.  The  second 
class  consists  of  leafy  trees,  such  as  the  Sugar  Maple,  the  White 
and  the  Red  Beech,  the  Birches  and  the  Ashes,  of  which  the 
Sugar  Maple  is  most  nudtiplied.  They  grow  on  level  grounds 
or  on  gentle  declivities  i»ud  form  what  are  denominated  Ilanl- 
vrxid  Unifh.  In  proceeding  from  the  40th  degree  of  latitude 
northward,  the  trees  of  the  second  class  are  observed  to  become 
more  rare,  and  the  resinous  treeH  in  the  Hamo  ])roportion  more 


SUGAR    MAPLE. 


155 


ecn  the 

inswick, 

lire,  and 

into  the 

covovod. 

State  of 

t  is  esti- 

lese  two 

ese  trees 

!  noticed, 

jrmed  of 

it  part  of 

vhich  hah 

Maple. 

3,  and  of 

lis  tree  is 
from  the 

no  longer 

3ses. 

nets  where 

e  those  of 

0  different 

hicli  alter- 

lal  propt)r- 

•li  as  Pines 
onis  of  the 
'lie  second 
the  White 
which  the 
t'l  {•rounds 
jited  Iliinl- 
i>i"   latitude 
to  lu'conie 
>rtion  more 


abundant:  below  the  43d  degree,  on  the  other  hand,  the  resinous 
trees  are  found  less  common,  and  the  others  lose  their  })redo- 
minance  in  the  forests,  as  they  become  mingled  with  the  nume- 
rous species  of  Oaks  and  Walnuts. 

The  Sugar  Maple  covers  a  greater  extent  of  the  American 
soil  than  any  other  species  of  this  genus.  It  flourishes  most  in 
mountainous  places,  where  the  soil,  though  fertile,  is  cold  and 
humid.  Besides  the  parts  which  I  have  particularly  mentioned, 
where  the  face  of  the  country  is  generally  of  this  nature,  it  is 
found  along  the  whole  chain  of  the  AUeghanies  to  their  termina- 
tion in  Georgia,  and  on  the  steep  and  shady  banks  of  the  rivers 
which  rise  in  these  mountains. 

The  Sugar  Maple  reaches  the  height  of  seventy  or  eighty  feet, 
with  a  proportional  diameter;  but  it  does  not  commonly  exceed 
fifty  or  sixty  feet,  with  a  diameter  of  twelve  or  eighteen  inches. 
Well-grown,  thriving  trees  are  beautiful  in  their  appearance,  and 
easily  distinguishaljle  by  the  whiteness  of  their  bark.  The 
leaves  are  about  five  inches  broad;  but  they  vary  in  length 
according  to  the  age  and  vigor  of  the  tree.  They  are  opposite, 
attached  by  long  petioles,  palmated  and  unecpially  divided  into 
five  lobes,  entire  at  the  edges,  of  a  bright  green  above  and 
glaucous  or  whitish  underneath.  In  autumn,  they  turn  iH?ddish 
with  the  first  frosts.  Except  in  the  color  of  tiie  lower  surface, 
they  nearly  resemlile  the  Norway  Maple.  The  flowers  are 
small,  yellowish,  and  suspended  by  slendei',  drooping  ])eduncles. 
The  seed  is  contained  in  two  capsules  united  at  the  })ase  and 
terminated  by  a  membranous  wing.  It  is  rijie  near  New  York 
in  the  beginning  of  October,  though  the  cajisules  attain  their 
full  size  six  weeks  'jirlier.  Externnlly,  they  apjieai  equally 
perfect,  but  I  have  constantly  found  one  of  them  I'mpty.  The 
fruit  is  matured  only  once  in  two  or  three  years. 

The  wood,  when  cut,  is  white;  but,  after  being  wrought  and 
exposed  for  some  time  to  the  light,  it  takes  a  rosy  tinge.  Its 
grain  is  fine  and  close,  and  when  polished  it  has  a  silken  lustre. 


/ 


t 


III 


''(!*'•  I 


m    ! 


1    • 


i    i|«l 


156 


SUGAR    MAPLE. 


It  is  very  strong  and  sufficiently  heavy,  but  wants  the  property 
of  durability,  for  which  the  Chestnut  and  the  Oak  are  so  highly 
esteemed.  When  exposed  to  moisture  it  soon  decays,  and  for 
this  reason  it  is  neglected  in  civil  and  naval  architecture.  In 
Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  the  district  of  Maine,  and  farther 
north,  where  the  Oak  is  not  plentiful,  this  timber  is  substituted 
for  it  in  preference  to  the  Beech,  the  Birch,  and  the  Elm. 
When  perfectly  seasoned,  (which  requires  two  or  three  years,) 
it  is  used  by  wheelwrights  for  axle-trees  and  spokes,  and  for 
lining  the  runners  of  common  sleds.  It  is  also  employed,  as 
well  as  the  Red-flowering  Maple,  in  the  manufacture  of  Windsor 
chairs.  In  the  country,  where  the  houses  are  wholly  of  wood. 
Sugar  Maple  timber  is  admitted  into  the  frame ;  and  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Maine  it  is  preferred  to  the  Beech  for  the  keels  of  vessels, 
as  it  furnishes  longer  pieces :  with  the  Beech  and  the  Yellow  Pine, 
it  forms  also  the  lower  frame,  which  is  always  in  the  water. 

This  wood  exhibits  two  accidental  forms  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  fibre,  of  which  cabinetrmakers  take  advantage  for  obtain- 
ing beautiful  articles  of  furniture.  The  first  consists  in  undu- 
lations like  those  of  the  Curled  Maple ;  the  secmd,  which  takes 
place  in  old  trees  Avliich  are  still  sound,  and  which  appears  to 
arise  from  an  inflexion  of  the  fibre  from  the  circumference 
toward  the  centre,  produces  spots  of  luOf  a  line  in  diameter, 
sometimes  contiguous,  and  sometimes  several  lines  apart.  The 
more  numerous  the  spots,  the  more  beautiful  and  the  more 
esteemed  is  the  wood:  this  variety  is  called  Bird's-eye  Maple. 
Like  the  Curled  Maple,  it  is  used  for  inlaying  Mahogany.  Bed- 
steads are  made  of  it,  and  portal)le  writing-desks,  which  are 
elegant  and  highly  jtrized.  To  obtain  the  finest  effect,  the  log 
should  be  sawn  in  a  direction  as  nearly  as  possible  parallel  to 
the  concentric  c"  "Ir  ,. 

When  cut  at  the  proper  seascm,  the  Sugar  Majde  fomis  excel- 
lent fuel.  It  is  exported  from  the  district  of  Maine  for  the 
c»»nsum])ti(m   of    Bosh)ii,   and    is    (Mjually   esteemed   with   the 


SUGAR     MAPLE. 


15( 


)roperty 
)  higlily 
and  for 
Are.     In 

iarther 
Dstituted 
he  Elm. 
3  years,) 

and  for 
loyed,  as 
Windsor 
of  wood, 
11  the  dis- 
3f  vessels, 
How  Pine, 
tvater. 
•angement 
:or  obtain- 
5  in  undu- 
liich  takes 
appears  to 
umferencc 

diameter, 
hart.     The 

the  more 

'ye  Maple, 
any.     Bod- 

whieh  are 
ect,  the  log 

parallel  to 

bnns  excel- 
ine  for  the 
1   with   the 


Hickory.  The  opinion  entertained  of  it  in  this  respect,  in  the 
north  of  America,  accords  with  the  interesting  experiments  of 
Mr.  llartig  on  the  comparative  heat  afCorded  by  difl'erent  species 
of  European  wood,  from  which  it  results  that  the  Sycamore 
{Acer  ])scudo-i)Jat(mm)  is  superior  to  every  other. 

The  ashes  of  the  Sugar  Maple  are  rich  in  the  alkaline  priu- 
ciple;  and  it  may  be  confidently  asserted  that  they  furnish  four- 
fifths  of  the  potash  exported  to  Europe  from  Boston  and  New 
York. 

In  the  forges  of  Vermont  and  the  district  of  Maine,  the 
charcoal  of  this  wood  is  preferred  to  any  other,  and  it  is  said  to 
be  one-fifth  heavier  than  the  coal  made  from  the  same  species 
in  the  Middle  and  Southern  States, — a  fact  which  sufficiently 
evinces  that  this  Maple  acquires  its  characteristic  properties  iu 
perfection  only  in  northern  climates. 

The  wood  of  the  Sugar  Maple  is  easily  distinguished  from  that 
of  the  Red-flowering  Maple,  which  it  resembles  in  appearance, 
by  its  weight  and  hardness.  There  is,  besides,  a  very  simple 
and  certain  test :  a  few  drops  of  sulphate  of  iron  being  poured 
on  samples  of  the  difl'erent  species,  the  Sugar  Maple  turns 
greenish,  and  the  White  Maple  and  Red-flowering  Maple  change 
to  a  deep  blue. 


The  extraction  of  Sugar  from  the  Maple  is  a  valuable  resource 
in  a  country  where  all  classes  of  society  make  daily  use  of  tea 
and  cofl'ee. 

The  process  by  which  it  is  obtained  is  very  simple,  and  is 
everywhere  nearly  the  same.  Tliough  not  essentially  defective, 
it  might  be  improved  and  made  more  profitable  by  adopting 
hints  which  have  been  thrown  out  in  American  publications. 

The  work  is  connnonly  taken  in  iiiuid  in  the  month  of  Feb- 
ruary, or  in  the  beginning  of  March,  while  the  cold  continues 


158 


SUGAR    MAPLE. 


I  J 


intense  and  the  ground  is  still  covered  with  snow.  The  sap 
begins  to  be  in  motion  at  this  season,  two  months  before  the 
general  revival  of  vegetation.  In  a  central  situation,  lying 
convenient  to  the  trees  from  which  the  sap  is  drawn,  a  shed  is 
constructed,  called  a  sugar-camp,  which  is  destined  to  shelter 
the  boilers,  and  the  persons  who  tend  them,  from  the  weather. 
An  auger  three-cpmrters  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  small  troughs 
to  receive  the  sap,  tubes  of  Elder  or  Sumac,  eight  or  ten  inches 
long,  corresponding  in  size  to  the  auger  and  laid  open  for  a  part 
of  their  length,  buckets  for  emptying  the  troughs  and  conveying 
the  sap  to  the  camp,  boilers  of  fifteen  or  eighteen  gallons'  capa- 
city, moulds  to  receive  the  syrup  when  reduced  to  a  proper 
consistency  for  being  fonned  into  cakes,  and,  lastly,  axes  to  cut 
and  split  the  fuel,  are  the  principal  utensils  employed  in  the 
operation. 

The  trees  are  perforated  in  an  obliquely-ascending  direction, 
eighteen  or  twenty  inches  from  the  ground,  with  two  holes  four 
or  five  inches  apart.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the  augers  do 
not  enter  more  than  hiilf  an  inch  within  the  wood,  as  experience 
has  shown  the  most  abundant  flow  of  sap  to  take  place  at  this 
depth.  It  is  also  recommended  to  insert  the  tubes  on  the  south 
side  of  the  tree ;  but  this  useful  hint  is  not  always  attended  to. 

The  troughs,  which  contain  two  or  three  gallons,  are  made, 
in  the  Northern  States,  of  White  Pine,  of  White  or  Black  Oak, 
or  of  Maple ;  on  the  Ohio,  the  Mulberry,  which  is  vei-y  abun- 
dant, is  preferred.  The  Chestnut,  the  Black  Walnut,  and  the 
Butternut  should  be  rejected,  as  they  impart  to  the  liquid  the 
coloring-matter  and  bitter  principle  with  which  they  are  im- 
pregnated. 

A  trough  is  placed  on  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  each  tree, 
and  the  sap  is  every  day  collected  and  temporarily  poured  into 
casks,  from  which  it  is  drawn  out  to  till  the  boilers.  The  eva- 
poration is  kept  up  by  a  brisk  fire,  and  the  scum  is  carefully 
taken  off  during  this  part  of  the  process.     Fresh  sap  is  added 


I 


SUGAR    MAPLE. 


159 


The  sap 
.'fore  the 
.11,  lying 
a  ^^lied  is 

0  shelter 
weather. 

1  troughs 
an  inches 
for  a  part 
conveying 
ons'  capa- 

a  proper 
xes  to  cut 
ed  in  the 

direction, 
holes  four 
augers  do 
?xperience 
ace  at  this 

the  south 

tended  to. 

arc  made, 

Black  Oak, 

very  aljuu- 

t,  and  the 

liquid  the 
ey  are  im- 

each  tree, 

loured  into 

The  eva- 

is  carefully 

;ap  is  added 


from  time  to  time,  and  the  heat  is  maintained  till  the  liquid  is 
reduced  to  a  syrup,  after  which  it  is  left  to  cool,  and  then 
strained  through  a  blanket  or  other  woollen  stuff,  to  separate 
the  remaining  impurities. 

Some  persons  recommend  leaving  the  syrup  twelve  hours 
before  boiling  it  for  the  last  time ;  others  proceed  with  it  imme- 
diately. In  either  case,  the  boilers  arc  only  half  filled,  and,  by 
an  active,  steady  heat,  the  liquor  is  rapidly  reduced  to  the 
proper  consistency  for  being  poured  into  the  moulds.  The  eva- 
poration is  known  to  have  proceeded  far  enough  when,  upon 
rubbing  a  drop  of  the  syrup  between  the  fingers,  it  is  perceived 
to  be  granular.  If  it  is  in  danger  of  boiling  over,  a  bit  of  lard 
or  of  butter  is  thrown  into  it,  Avhich  instantly  calms  the  ebulli- 
tion. The  molasses  being  drained  oft"  from  the  moulds,  the 
sugar  is  no  longer  deliquescent,  like  the  raw  sugar  of  the  West 
Indies. 

Maple  Sugar  manufactured  in  this  way  is  light>colored  in  jiro- 
portion  to  the  care  with  which  it  is  made  and  the  judgment 
with  which  the  evaporation  is  conducted.  It  is  superior  to  the 
brown  sugar  of  the  Colonies, — at  least,  to  such  as  is  generally 
used  in  the  United  States ;  its  taste  is  as  pleasant,  and  it  is  as 
good  for  culinary  purposes.  When  refined,  it  equals  in  beauty 
the  finest  sugar  consumed  in  Europe.  It  is  made  use  of,  how- 
ever, only  in  the  districts  where  it  is  made,  and  there  only  in 
the  country :  from  prejudice  or  taste,  inqiorted  sugar  is  used  in 
all  tlie  small  towns  and  in  the  inns. 

The  sap  continues  to  How  for  six  weeks,  after  which  it  be- 
comes less  aljundant,  less  rich  in  saccharine  matter,  and  some- 
times even  incapable  of  crystallization.  In  this  case,  it  is 
consumed  in  the  state  of  molasses,  which  is  supbrior  to  {hat 
of  the  Islands.  After  three  or  four  days'  exposure  to  the 
sun.  Maple  sap  is  converted  into  vinegar  by  the  acetous  fer- 
mentation. 

In  a  periodical  work  published  at  Philadelphia  several  yen's 


160 


SUGAR     MATLE. 


: 


' 


since,  the  following  receipt  is  given  for  making  Sugar  Maple 
beer: — Upon  four  gallons  of  boiling  water  pour  one  quart  of 
Maple  molasses ;  add  a  little  yeast  or  leaven  to  excite  the  fer- 
mentation, and  a  spoonful  of  the  essence  of  spruce ;  a  very  plea- 
sant and  salutary  drink  is  thus  obtained. 

The  process  which  I  have  described  for  extracting  the  sugar 
is  the  most  comnjon  one,  and  it  is  the  same  from  whatever  spe- 
cies of  Maple  the  sugar  is  made. 

The  amount  of  sugar  manufactured  in  a  year  varies  from  dif- 
ferent causes.  A  cold  and  dry  winter  renders  the  trees  more 
productive  than  a  changeable  and  humid  season.  It  is  observed 
that,  when  a  frosty  nigtit  is  followed  by  a  bright  and  brilliant 
day,  the  sap  flows  abundantly ;  and  two  or  three  gallons  are 
sometimes  yielded  by  a  single  tree  in  twenty-four  hours.  Three 
persons  are  found  sufficient  to  tend  250  trees,  which  give  1000 
pounds  of  sugar,  or  four  pounds  from  each  tree.  But  this  pro- 
duct is  not  uniform ;  for  many  farmers  on  the  Ohio  Iiave  assured 
me  that  they  did  not  commonly  obtain  more  than  two  pounds 
from  a  tree. 

Trees  which  grow  in  low  and  moist  places  afford  a  greater 
quantity  of  sap  than  those  which  occupy  rising  grounds,  but  it 
is  less  rich  in  the  saccharine  principle.  That  of  insulated  trees, 
left  standing  in  the  middle  of  fields  or  by  the  side  of  fences,  is 
the  best.  It  is  also  remarked  that  in  districts  which  have  been 
cleared  of  other  trees,  and  even  of  the  less  vigorous  Sugar 
Maple,  the  product  of  the  remainder  is,  i^roportionally,  most 
considerable. 

While  I  resided  in  Pittsburg,  the  following  curious  particulars 
appeared  in  the  Greensburg  Gazette  : — "  Having  intx'oduced," 
says  the  writer,  "  twenty  tubes  into  a  Sugar  Maple,  I  drew  from 
it  the  same  day  twenty-three  gallons  and  three  quarts  of  sap, 
which  gave  seven  and  a  quarter  pounds  of  sugar :  thirty-three 
pounds  have  been  made  this  season  from  the  same  tree ;  which 
supposes  one  hundred  gallons  of  sap."     It  appears  here  that 


SUGAR    MA"LE. 


161 


Maple 
uart  of 
the  fer- 
ry plea- 
be  sugar 
jver  spe- 

from  dif- 
ees  more 
observed 
brilliant 
Lllons  are 
5.     Three 
rrive  1000 
t  this  pro- 
ve  assured 
vo  pounds 

a  greater 
nds,  but  it 
ated  trees, 
fences,  is 
have  been 
ous  Sugar 
ally,  most 

Iparticulars 
itroduced," 
drew  from 
irts  of  sap, 
[hirty-three 
Iree ;  which 
here  that 


only  a  little  more  than  three  gallons  was  required  for  a  pound, 
though  four  are  commonly  allowed. 

In  the  foregoing  experiments,  five  quarts  were  drawn  in  one 
day  from  each  tube,  which  is  about  equal  to  the  quantity  dis- 
charged when  two  pipes  are  employed.  Might  it  not  hence  be 
concluded  that  the  sap  escapes  only  from  the  orifices  of  the 
vessels  which  have  been  divided  by  the  auger,  without  being 
diverted  to  this  issue  from  the  neighboring  parts?  I  am  the 
more  inclined  to  this  opinion,  as,  in  rambling  one  day  in  the 
profound  solitude  of  the  forests  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  the 
idea  suggested  itself  to  me  of  cutting  into  a  Maple  which  had 
been  bored  the  preceding  year.  I  found,  amid  the  white  mass 
of  its  wood,  a  green  column,  equal  in  width  and  in  depth  to  the 
hole  beneath.  The  organization  appeared  not  to  be  affected; 
but  this  is  not  sufficient  to  warrant  the  conclusion  that  these 
vessels  would  be  in  condition  to  give  passage  to  the  sap  the  suc- 
ceeding year.  It  may  be  objected  that  trees  have  been  drained 
for  thirty  years,  without  diuiinution  of  their  produce.  But  a 
tree  of  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter  presents  an  extensive  sur- 
face, and  the  tubes  are  every  year  shifted ;  besides,  the  succes- 
sive layers  of  thirty  or  forty  years  would  restore  it  nearly  to 
the  state  of  one  that  never  had  been  perforated. 

In  the  United  States,  Maple  sugar  is  made  in  the  greatest 
quantities  in  the  upper  part  of  New  Hampshire,  in  Vermont, 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  particulai'ly  in  Genesee,  and  in  the 
counties  of  Pennsylvania  which  lie  on  the  eastern  and  western 
branches  of  the  Susquehanna;  west  of  the  mountains,  in  the 
country  bordering  on  the  rivers  Alleghany,  Monongaliela,  and 
Ohio.  The  farmers,  after  reserving  a  sufficient  store  for  their 
own  consumption,  sell  the  residue  to  the  shoplcecpers  in  the 
small  towns  of  the  neighborhood  at  eight  cents  a  pound,  by 
whom  it  is  retailed  at  eleven  cents.  A  great  deal  of  sugar  is 
also  made  in  Upper  Canada,  on  the  Wabash,  and  near  Michili- 
mackinac.     The  Indians  dispose  of  it  to  the  commissioners  of 

Vol.  I.— 11 


1G2 


SUGAR    MAPLE. 


ifti. 


!:    I 


the  Northwestern  Company  established  at  Montreal,  for  the 
use  of  the  numerous  agents  who  go  out  in  their  emplo^^ ,  in  quest 
of  furs,  beyond  Lake  Superior.  In  Nova  Seotia  and  the  dis- 
trict of  Maine,  and  on  the  highest  mountains  of  Virginia  and 
the  Carol inas,  where  these  trees  are  sufficiently  common,  the 
manufacture  is  less  considerable,  and  probably  six-sevenths  of 
the  inhabitants  consume  imported  sugar. 

It  has  been  stated,  and  doubtless  correctly,  that  the  northern 
parts  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  contain  Maples  enough  to 
supply  the  whole  consumption  of  the  United  States.  But  the 
annual  produce  by  no  means  answers  to  this  patriotic  calcula- 
tion. The  trees  grow  upon  excellent  lands,  which,  by  the  influx 
of  emigrants  from  the  older  settlements,  and  by  the  surprising 
increase  of  the  population  already  established,  are  rapidly  clear- 
ing; so  that  in  less,  perhaps,  than  half  a  century,  the  Maples 
will  be  confined  to  exposures  too  steep  for  cultivation,  and  will 
afford  no  resource,  except  to  the  proprietor  on  whose  donaain 
they  grow.  At  this  period,  also,  the  wood  will  probably  pro- 
duce a  greater  and  more  ready  profit  than  the  sugar.  It  has 
been  proposed  to  plant  Sugar  Maples  in  orchards  or  about  the 
fields;  but  would  it  not  be  more  certainly  advantageous  to 
multiply  the  Apple-tree,  which  grows  in  soils  too  dry  to  sustain 
the  vegetation  of  the  Maple?  All  that  has  been  said  on  this 
subject  must  be  considered  as  speculative  merely,  since,  in  the 
Eastern  States,  where  information  is  generally  diffused,  no  en- 
tei'prises  of  this  nature  have  been  undertaken  by  which  the 
importation  of  sugar  might  be  diminished. 

Wild  and  domestic  animals  are  inordinately  fond  of  Maple 
juice,  and  break  into  enclosures  to  sate  themselves  with  it. 

The  details  into  which  I  have  entered  concerning  the  Sugar 
Maple  furnish  the  means  of  estimating  its  importance  with 
reference  both  to  its  sap  and  to  its  wood.  I  have  indicated  the 
regions  where  it  grows  and  the  soil  in  which  it  thrives;  and  I 
fp<>l  authorized  in  seriously  recommending  it  for  propagation  in 


Mitreal,  for  tlio 
'inploy,  in  quest 
ill  and  the  dis- 
of  Virginia  and 
ly  common,  tlio 
six-seven  tlis  of 

liat  tlie  northern 
laples  enough  to 
5tates.     But  the 
^iatriotic  calcuha- 
ich,  by  the  influx 
by  the  surprising 
are  rapidly  clear- 
tury,  the  Maples 
tivation,  and  will 
»n  whose  domain 
all  probably  pro- 
le  sugar.     It  has 
lards  or  about  the 
advantageous  to 
too  dry  to  sustain 
been  said  on  this 
!rely,  since,  in  the 
ly  diffused,  no  en- 
:en  by  which  the 


ely  fond  of  Maple 
selves  with  it. 
cerning  the  Sugar 
i  importance  with 
liave  indicated  the 
h  it  thrives;  and  I 
for  propagation  in 


:l 


/'/^•'• 


Jcl<l  ■■■•■»'/• 


I  I,' 


I 


j 


BLACK     SUGAR-TREE. 


163 


the  north  of  Europe.  Its  sap  and  its  Avood  are  superior  to  those 
of  the  Norway  Maple  and  of  the  Sycamore,  and,  in  the  same 
countries  where  these  two  species  abound  in  the  forests,  its 
success  would  be  most  complete,  and  its  cultivation  more  pro- 
fitable. 

PLATE  XLIL 

A  branch  iviih  leaves  and  seeds  of  the  natural  size.    Fig.  1.  A  small  twig 

with  foiccrs. 

[For  later  and  distinct  remarks  on  the  product  of  this  tree, 
see  Emerson's  "Trees  and  Shrubs  of  Massachusetts,"  p.  489. 
Count  Wingorsky  is  said  to  have  planted  a  great  many  of 
these  trees  on  his  estates  in  Moravia,  and  to  have  made  very 
good  sugar  from  their  sap  when  they  had  attained  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years.  But,  in  consequence  of  drawing  sap  every 
year,  the  trees  became  sickly,  and  soon  died.] 


BLACK   SUGAR-TREE. 

Acer  NKiiiuM.  A.  foliis  qitvi'iuc-j^arlito-pxluMtl.^,  similiis  apcrtis,  margine 
iiitigra,  salitas  2)ubcscentibu.'^,  atrodridibas ;  jloribas  curgnibovis ;  C(q)Stdis 
tuvgidi,  subglobosls.  , 

In  the  Western  States,  and  in  the  parts  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia  which  lie  between  the  mountains  and  the  Ohio,  this 
species  of  Maple  is  designated  by  the  name  of'  Sugar-tree,  and 
freipu'utly  by  the  more  characteristic  denomination  of  Black 
Sugar-tree;  i)rol)ably  on  account  of  the  dark  color  of  its  leaves 
ill  comparison  with  those  of  the  true  Sugar  Mu^jU',  wliich  some- 
times grows  with  it.     In  the  extensive  country  of  Genesee,  both 


I!       ;i:i 


if 


II 


if 


k 


164 


BLACK    SUGAR. TREE. 


f^pecies  are  indiscriminatoly  called  Eock  Maple  and  Sugar 
Maple.  This  coiifiisiou  seems  to  have  arisen  from  the  countr3''s 
heing  settled  principally  by  emigrants  from  the  Eastern  States, 
who,  finding  the  Black  Sugar-tree  applicable  to  the  same  uses 
with  the  other,  and  equally  productive  of  Sugar,  have  given  it 
the  same  name.  The  two  species  have  also  been  confounded  by 
botanists,  in  describing  the  vegetable  productions  of  America. 

Toward  the  north,  I  first  observed  the  Black  Su2;ar-tree  near 
Windsor  in  Vermont,  on  the  Connecticut  Eiver.  But,  from  its 
inferior  size  and  its  scarceness,  it  may  be  inferred  that  it  belongs 
to  a  more  southern  climate.  Accordingly,  a  few  degrees  lower, 
it  forms  a  large  part  of  the  forests  of  Genesee,  and  covers  the 
immense  valleys  through  which  flow  the  great  rivers  of  the 
West.  In  these  bottoms  it  is  one  of  the  most  common  and  one 
of  the  loftiest  trees. 

The  leaves  are  four  or  five  inches  long,  and  exhibit,  in  every 
respect,  nearly  the  same  conformation  as  those  of  the  true  Sugar 
Maple.  They  difi'er  from  them,  principally,  in  being  of  a  deeper 
green  and  a  thicker  texture,  and  in  having  more  open  sinuses : 
they  are  also  slightly  downy,  which  is  most  sensibly  perceptible 
on  the  main  rib. 

The  flowers,  like  those  of  the  Sugar  Maple,  are  suspended  by 
long,  flexible  peduncles :  the  seeds,  also,  are  similar,  and  are 
ripe  al)out  the  same  time;  that  is,  aboi;t  the  1st  of  Octo])er. 

The  wood  is  much  like  that  of  the  other  species,  but  it  is 
coarser-grained  and  less  brilliant  when  polished.  It  is  little 
used,  because,  wherever  it  abounds,  other  trees  are  found,  such 
as  the  Oak,  the  Walnut,  the  Cherry-tree,  and  the  Mulberry, 
which  are  more  esteemed  for  building  and  for  cabinet-making. 
it  is,  however,  prcf"rred  for  the  frames  of  Windsor  chairs,  and 
is  considered,  after  ihe  Hickories,  as  the  best  fuel.  Its  most 
important  use  is  for  making  sugar,  of  which  it  annually  yields 
a  vast  amount  in  the  neighborhood  of  Pittsburg. 

When  the  Black  Sugar-tree  stands  alone,  it  naturally  assumes 


and   Sugar 
the  coiuitr3''s 
istern  States, 
le  same  uses 
lave  given  it 
jufoundod  by 
['  America, 
isiar-tree  near 
But,  from  its 
liat  it  belongs 
egrees  lower, 
id  covers  the 
rivers  of  the 
imon  and  one 

libit,  in  every 
he  true  Sugar 
ng  of  a  deeper 
open  sinuses : 
)ly  perceptible 

suspended  by 
nihir,  and  are 
.f  October, 
'cies,  but  it  is 
I.     It  is  little 
ire  found,  such 
the   MuUjerry, 
abinet-nuiking. 
sor  chairs,  and 
fuel.     Its  most 
imnually  yields 


tu rally  assumes 


PI.  *4  ■ 


T 


KSSS?^ 


PI.  4-4 


NORWAY    MAPLE. 


165 


a  regular  and  agreeable  shape.  Its  foliage,  of  a  darker  tint  and 
more  tufted  than  that  of  the  other  Maples,  renders  it  proper  for 
forming  avenues  and  for  adorning  parks  and  gardens ;  in  short, 
for  every  situation  where  thick  shade  is  desired,  as  a  shelter 
from  the  sun. 

PLATE  XLIIL 

A  branch  with  a  leaf  and  seeds  of  the  natural  size. 


NORWAY  MAPLE. 

Acer   platanoides.     A.  foliis  quinque-lobis,  acuminatis,  idrinqnc  glabris, 
lobis  dentatis  ;  corijmbis  crcctis,  peduncidis  glabris. 

This  species  of  Maple  is  found  in  the  same  parts  of  Europe 
with  the  Sycamore,  but  it  is  most  multiplied  in  Sweden  and 
Norway,  whence  it  has  received  the  name  of  Norway  Maple. 

Like  the  Sycamore,  it  attains  a  lofty  height  and  a  diameter 
of  several  feet,  and  ranks  among  the  largest  trees  of  the  north 
of  Europe.  Its  leaves  are  broad,  of  a  fine  texture,  and  of  a 
light  green  color;  in  shape  they  resemble  those  of  the  Black 
Sugar-tree  and  the  Sugar  Maple.  They  are  not  whitish  under- 
neath like  those  of  the  Sugar  Maple,  and  when  the  petiole  is 
broken  a  milky  fluid  distils  from  it,  which  does  not  take  place 
in  the  American  species. 

The  ilowers  of  the  Norway  Maple  arc  small,  yellowish,  and 
suspended  by  pretty  long  peduncles.  The  seeds  grow  in  two 
capsules,  which  are  united  at  the  base,  compressed,  and  gar- 
nished with  large,  divergent,  membranous  wings.  They  are 
ripe  in  the  month  of  September. 

In  the  winter,  when  the  Norway  Maple  and  the  Sycamore 


166 


NORWAY    MAPLE, 


!i:Mi:  f. 


I'  *.' 


!U    -i 


are  stripped  of  their  leaves,  they  may  still  be  distinguished  by 
their  buds.  Ou  the  Sycamore,  the  last  year's  shoots  are  larger 
than  on  the  Norway  Maple,  and  the  buds  are  of  a  yellowish 
color,  while  those  of  the  other  species  are  of  a  reddish  com- 
plexion, and  are  united  in  groups  of  three.  On  the  two  species 
of  American  Sugar  Maple,  the  shoots  are  still  more  tapering 
and  slender,  and  the  buds  are  nearly  black. 

The  wood  of  the  Norway  Maple  is  very  white  and  very  fine- 
grained :  it  is  easily  wrought,  and  is  employed  for  nearly  the 
same  purposes  with  that  of  the  Sycamore.  Among  cabinet- 
makers in  Germany,  such  trees  are  in  request  as  present  agree- 
able accidental  variations  in  the  direction  of  the  fibre,  similar  to 
the  Curled  Maple  and  the  Bird's-eye  Maple. 

The  rapid  and  beautiful  vegetation  of  the  Norway  Maple  in 
soils  inferior  to  such  as  are  required  by  the  Sycamore  causes  it 
to  be  extensively  planted  in  Europe  for  the  embellishment  of 
gardens;  for  which  purpose  trees  are  preferred  that  develop 
their  foliage  early  and  shed  it  late,  and  that  afford  through  the 
intemperate  season  a  refreshing  shade;  all  which  advantages 
are  united  in  the  Norway  Maple. 


PLATE  XLIV. 

Fig.  1.  A  leaf  of  half  the  natural  size.    A  seed  of  the  natural  size. 

[This  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  best  ornamental  trees ;  its 
beautifully-formed,  round  head,  and  the  great  density  of  its 
shade,  should  give  it  a  preference  over  most  of  the  Maples  for 
the  landscape-gardener.  Scarcely  too  much  can  be  said  in  its 
praise.] 


oil  by 
larger 
owisli 
com- 
;pecies 
pering 

ry  fine- 
rly  the 
^abinetr 
t  agree- 
milar  to 

Maple  in 
causes  it 
iment  of 
i  develop 
•ougli  the 
Ivantages 


iral  size. 

trees;  its 

ity  of  ita 

Maples  for 

said  in  its 


SYCAMORE   TREE. 

Acer  pseudo-platanus.     A.  fuliis  qninqitc  hhis,  inccqualiicr  dcntatis  sub- 
ilis  glaucescentibus ;  floribus  subspicalis,  pendulis. 

Tins  beautiful  tree  is  diffused  over  all  the  centre  of  Europe, 
and  abounds  especially  in  Bohemia,  Hungary,  and  Poland.  It 
thrives  most  luxuriantly  in  moist  and  fertile  soils,  and  when 
expanded  to  its  full  dimensions  it  is  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in 
height  and  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter.  Its  head  is  spacious, 
and  its  foliage  thick.  On  old  trees,  the  bark  of  the  trunk  is 
deeply  furrowed ;  on  such  as  are  less  than  six  inches  in  dia- 
meter, it  is  perfectly  smooth.  The  leaves  of  the  Sycamore  are 
opposite,  with  long  petioles,  large,  and  distinctly  divided  into 
live  unequal  lobes ;  they  are  of  a  dark  green  above  and  whitish 
underneath.  In  the  heat  of  midsummer  they  are  covered  with 
a  very  sweet  viscid  substance,  which  is  gathered  with  avidity  by 
bees.  The  flowers  appear  toward  the  end  of  April :  they  are 
small,  greenish,  and  grouped  into  pendulous  clusters  from  three 
to  four  inches  in  length.  The  seed  is  in  capsules  about  an  inch 
in  length,  united  at  the  base  and  terminated  by  a  membranous 
wing. 

When  the  Sycamore  is  fully  grown,  its  wood  is  fine-grained 
and  susceptible  of  a  brilliant  polish.  In  those  parts  of  Europe 
where  it  is  most  common,  it  is  in  demand  with  turners  for 
making  wooden  Avare.  It  is  used  for  making  violins,  and,  when 
its  grain  is  undulated,  for  ornamenting  forte-pianos.  By  the  in- 
teresting experiments  of  Mr.  Ilartig,  Grand  Master  of  the  forests 
of  Prussia,  on  the  comparative  value  of  different 'species  of  wood 
as  combustibles,  the  Sycamore  was  found  to  afford  more  heat 
than  any  other  wood  of  the  north  of  Europe. 

Sugar  has  been  made  from  the  Sycamore  in  Bohemia  and 
Hungary.     Though  the  attempt  has   completely  succeeded,  it 


i  II 


'■JL. 1 


168 


SYCAMORE    TREE. 


in 


appears  certain  that  the  sugar  is  yielded  in  a  smaller  proportion 
than  by  the  Sugar  Maple. 

In  France  and  England,  the  Sycamore  is  a  rare  tree  in  the 
forests,  but  it  is  multiplied  in  pleasure-grounds,  on  account  of 
its  rapid  growth,  the  early  development  of  its  foliage  in  the 
spring,  and  the  fine  shade  which  it  affords  through  the  summer. 

It  has  been  observed  in  England  that  the  foliage  of  this  tree 
is  less  injured  than  that  of  others  by  the  saline  vapors  wafted 
from  the  sea ;  hence  it  is  chosen  for  situations  exposed  to  these 
winds.  The  justness  of  the  observation  I  have  never  had  an 
opportunity  of  examining. 

The  Sycamore  appears  to  me  to  possess  no  one  superior  pro- 
perty which  entitles  it  to  preference  in  the  United  States  over 
the  Sugar  Maple  and  the  Black  Sugar-tree. 


PLATE  XLIV. 

Fig.  2.  A  leaf  of  half  the  natural  size.    A  seed  of  the  natural  size. 

[Its  growth  is  very  rapid,  particularly  when  it  is  in  a  deep, 
free,  rich  soil,  and  in  a  mild  climate.  It  arrives  at  full  growth 
in  fifty  or  sixty  years.  In  marshy  soil,  or  dry  sand,  the  tree 
never  attains  a  great  size. 

"  There  is  a  very  interesting  tree  of  this  species  standing  at 
the  entrance  of  the  village  of  Trons,  in  the  Orisons,  the  cradle 
of  liberty  in  the  Rhoetian  Alps.  Under  the  once  spreading 
branches  of  this  now  hollow  and  cloven  trunk,  the  Gray  League 
was  solemnly  ratified  in  1424.  Upon  the  supposition  that  it 
was  only  a  century  old  when  the  meeting,  to  which  its  celebrity 
is  owing,  took  place,  and  a  younger  tree  would  hardly  have  been 
selected  for  the  purpose,  it  has  now  attained  the  r.ge  of  five 
hundred  and  twenty  years,  and  ma}'  be  much  older."  iJr.  Gray, 
in  N.  American  Rev.,  July,  1844.] 


h 


•  proportion 

tree  in  the 
account  of 
iage  in  the 
he  summer, 
of  this  tree 
ipors  wafted 
sed  to  these 
!ver  had  an 

superior  pro- 
[  States  over 


itural  size. 

is  in  a  deep, 
it  full  growth 
and,  the  tree 


t. 


\ 


s  standing  at 
IS,  the  cradle 
ice  spreading 
Gray  League 
sition  that  it 
h  its  celebrity 
dly  have  been 
e  r.ge  of  five 
r."     JUr.  Oraij, 


;    J  t  J 
I    1  til 


/y.^, 


/y.^-' 


1  1 


MOOSE   WOOD. 


AcEP  STRIATUM.     A.  foUis  infemh  rotundatis,  supernh  aciomnato-iricus- 
pidlbus,  argute  serratis ;  raccmis  simpliclbus,  pendcndbus. 

A.   doinisylvanicuin.     LiNX, 

In  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick,  in  tlie 
district  of  Maine,  and  in  the  States  of  Vermont  and  New  Ilamp- 
shiro,  this  Maple  is  known  only  by  the  name  of  Moose  Wood : 
in  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  it  is  called  Striped  Maple. 
This  last  denomination,  which  is  preferable  as  being  descriptive, 
I  have  thought  proper  to  reject,  because  it  is  in  use  only  in  a 
part  of  the  United  States  Avhere  the  tree  is  rare,  and  is  wholly 
unknown  in  those  parts  in  which  it  abounds.  The  name  of 
Moose  Wood  was  given  it  by  the  first  settlers  from  observing 
that  the  moose — an  animal  now  rare  in  this  region — subsisted 
during  the  latter  part  of  winter  and  the  beginning  of  spring 
upon  its  young  twigs. 

This  tree  makes  its  first  appearance  near  Lake  St.  John  in 
the  47th  degree  of  latitude,  that  is  to  say,  a  little  farther  north 
than  the  preceding  species.  In  Nova  Scotia  and  the  district  of 
Maine,  where  I  have  most  particularly  observed  it,  it  fills  the 
forests.  Toward  the  Hudson  it  becomes  more  rare,  and  beyond 
this  boundary  is  confined  to  the  mountainous  tracts  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  »)n  which  it  is  found  in  cold  and  shaded  e\[)osures,  along 
the  whole  range  to  its  termination  in  (leorgia. 

In  the  district  of  Maine  I  have  always  Ibund  the  Moose  Wood 
most  vigorous  in  mixed  forests,  or  what  are  called  Mhiiirc  huiih ; 
where  the  woods  are  composed  of  the  Siig.'r  Maple,  the  Beech, 
tbe  White  Birch,  the  Yellow  Birch,  and  the  Heudock  Spruce, 
la  these  forests  it  constitutes  a  great  part  of  the  undergrowth; 


I. -IP 


16U 


170 


MOOSE    WOOD. 


If  :; 


'mI 


for  its  ordinary  height  is  less  than  ten  feet,  though  I  have  found 
individual  trees  of  more  than  twice  this  stature. 

The  trunk  and  branches  of  the  Moose  Wood  are  clad  in  a 
smooth  green  bark,  longitudinally  marked  with  black  stripes, 
by  which  it  is  easily  distinguishable  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

This  is  one  of  the  earliest  trees  of  North  America  whose 
vegetation  announces  the  approach  of  tJie  genial  season.  Its 
buds  and  leaves,  when  beginning  to  unfold,  are  rose-colored,  and 
have  a  pleasing  eflect;  but  this  hue  soon  changes  to  green.  On 
luxuriant  trees,  the  leaves  are  of  a  pretty  thick  texture,  and 
finely  serrate.  They  are  four  or  five  inches  broad,  rounded  at 
the  base,  and  divided  into  three  deep  acute  lobes.  The  flowers 
are  of  agi'eenish  cast,  and  grouped  on  long,  pendulous  peduncles. 
The  fruit,  which  in  tha  main  resembles  that  of  the  other 
Maples,  is  remarkable  for  a  small  cavity  on  one  side  of  the 
capsules:  it  is  produced  in  abundance,  and  is  ripe  about  the 
end  of  September. 

The  inferior  size  of  the  Moose  Wood  forljids  its  use  in  any 
kind  of  carpentry;  but,  as  it  is  white  and  iine-grained,  the 
cabinet-makers  of  Halifax  emi)loy  it  instead  of  the  Holly,  which 
does  not  grow  in  so  northern  a  climate,  for  forming  the  white 
lines  with  which  they  inlay  Mahogany.  Its  principal  advantage 
consists  in  furnishing  the  inhaljitants  at  tlie  close  of  winter, 
when  their  forage  is  exhausted,  n  resource  for  sustaining  their 
cattle  till  the  advancing  season  has  renewed  the  herl)age.  As 
stK)n  as  the  buds  begin  to  swi-ll.  the  famished  horses  and  neat 
cattle  are  turned  loose  into  the  woods,  to  browse  on  the  young 
shoots,  which  tluy  crop  with  avidity.  Poor  as  this  resource 
may  appear,  it  is  not  wIkjIIv  inadecpuite,  since  the  twigs  are 
tender  and  full  of  saccharine  juice.  A  similar  practice  prevails 
also  in  the  new  settlements  of  the  West. 

Tliis  species  of  Maple  has  been  long  cultivated  in  Kiu'ope,  in 
parks  and  extensive  gardens.  It  is  in  re(piest  as  one  of  the 
earliest  trees  to  feel  the  ap])roach  of  spring,  but  more  ])articM- 


MOOSE    WOOD. 


m 


larlj  on  account  of,  the  pleasing  effect  of  the  whit(^  veins  which 
variegate  its  trunk.  In  the  primitive  forests,  where  it  grows 
beneath  a  canopy  of  impervious  shade,  these  veins  are  bhick: 
the  change  of  color  seems  owing  to  its  being  planted  in  drier 
soils  more  open  to  the  sun.  Most  of  the  trees  of  this  species 
which  now  grow  in  Europe  have  been  grafted  on  the  lofty 
Sycamore,  whose  vigor  is  felt  by  the  Moose  Wood,  and  expands 
it  to  four  times  its  natural  dimensions. 

PLATE   XLV. 

A  branch  idth  fruit  of  the  vntural  size.  Fig.  1.  Bark  of  a  tree  in  the 
forests  of  North  America.  Fig.  2.  Bark  of  a  tree  cultivated  on  dry  and 
open  ground. 


[From  the  great  beauty  of  its  bark,  this  tree  deserves  a  place 
in  every  collection.  The  delicate  rose-color  of  the  buds  and 
leaves  on  opening,  and  the  elegance  of  the  ample  foliage  after- 
ward, the  graceful,  pendulous  racemes  of  flowers  succeeded  by 
large,  showy  keys,  not  unlike  a  cluster  of  insects,  will  also 
recommend  it.] 


I'  'I 


BOX  ELDER, 


OR 


ASH-LEAYED   MAPLE. 


h: 


Acer  neoundo.     A.  foliis  innnat'i!^  (nuati.sce,  inceqmlitcr  scrratis;  floribus 

dioicis. 

In  the  country  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  where  this  tree  is 
common,  it  is  called  Box  Elder;  east  of  the  mountains  it  is 
more  rare,  and,  having  been  less  attentively  observed,  it  has 
received  no  specific  name.  Some  persons,  however,  distinguish 
it  by  that  of  Ash-leaved  Maple,  which  is  a  perfectly  appi'opriate 
denomiu"  tion.  I  have  chosen  the  other,  though  absolutely  insig- 
nificant of  any  characteristic  property  of  the  tree,  because  it  is 
sanctioned  by  general  use.  The  French  of  Illinois  call  it  Emble 
d,  G'njuieres. 

The  leaves  of  the  Box  Elder  are  opposite,  and  are  from  six 
to  fifteen  inches  long,  according  to  the  vigor  of  the  tree  and  the 
moisture  of  the  soil  in  which  it  grows.  Each  leaf  is  composed 
of  two  pair  of  leaflets  with  an  odd  one.  The  leaves  are  petio- 
lated  and  oval-acuminate,  and  sharply  toothed;  toward  fall,  the 
common  petiole  is  of  a  deep  red.  The  male  and  female  flowers 
are  borne  on  difl'erent  trees,  and  are  su})ported  by  slender, 
penduhnis  peduncles,  six  or  seven  inches  in  length. 

Of  all  the  Maples  of  the  United  States,  this  species  ventures 

least  into  northern  latitudes,  for  in  the  Atlantic  States  it  is  first 

seen  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware,  in  the  neighborhood  of 

Philadelphia,  and  even  there  it  is  rare.     In  the  maritime  parts 

of  the  Southern  States,  also,  it  is  far  from  being  a  connnon  tree; 

which  is  less  attributable  to  the  heat  of  the  sunnner  than  the 

marshy  nature  of  the  soil  on  the  borders  of  the  rivers.     West 

of  the  mountains,  on  the  oontrarv.  it  is  extremely  multiplied, 
172 


;  jloribus 

3  tree  is 
ins  it  is 
I,  it  has 
itiiiguish 
propriate 
ely  insig- 
luse  it  is 
it  Emhle 

from  six 
B  and  the 
composed 
are  petio- 
d  Ml,  the 
„le  flowers 
^   slender, 

s  ventures 
s  it  is  first 
Mjrhood  of 
time  parts 
mnon  tree; 
r  than  the 
ers.  West 
multiplied, 


I 


I  m 


I\()x  I'.ldor. 


BOX   ELDER,  OR   ASII-LEAVED    MAPLE.     173 


and,  insstoad  of  being  confined,  as  in  the  upper  parts  t)f  Virginia 
and  of  the  Carolinas,  to  the  river-sides,  it  grows  in  the  woods, 
with  the  Locust,  Wild  Cherry,  and  Coffee-tree.  But  in  the  bot- 
toms which  skirt  the  rivers,  where  the  soil  is  deep,  fertile,  con- 
stantly moist,  and  often  inundated,  this  tree  is  most  abundant 
and  most  fully  expanded.  Even  here  it  can  be  considered  only 
as  a  tree  of  secondary  size :  the  largest  Box  Elders  that  I  Iuiao 
seen  were  not  more  than  fifty  feet  in  height  and  twenty  inches 
in  diameter,  and  trees  of  these  dimensions  are  found  only  in 
Tennessee  and  in  the  back  parts  of  Georgia,  which  lie  far  to  the 
south.  In  Kentucky,  they  are  of  only  half  this  height.  Though 
growing  in  thick  forests,  the  Box  Elder  expands  into  a  head  like 
that  of  the  Apple-tree.  I  have  remarked  this  form  particularly 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  where  I  have  also  observed  that  the 
trunk  bulges  into  knots  at  unequal  distances,  and  is  often 
decayed  at  the  heart.  A  fine  row  of  Box  Elders  in  the  botanical 
garden  of  Paris,  along  the  Hue  cle  Bujfhn,  affords  a  sufficiently 
just  idea  of  their  appearance  in  the  forests  on  the  rivers  Monon- 
gahela  and  Ohio.  It  may  be  concluded,  from  what  has  been 
said,  that,  to  obtain  its  full  proportions,  this  tree  requires  a  cli- 
mate three  or  four  degrees  milder  than  that  of  Philadelphia, 
Pittsburg,  and  Paris. 

The  Box  Elder  branches  at  a  small  height.  The  bark  of  its 
trunk  is  brown,  and  I  have  remarked  a  disagreeable  odor  in  the 
cellular  tissue.  The  proportion  of  the  sap  to  the  heart  is  large, 
except  in  very  old  trees :  in  these  the  heart  is  variegated  with 
rose-colored  and  bluish  veins.  Some  caljinet-makers  in  the 
West'^rn  country  employ  it  to  ornament  furniture  made  of 
Mahogany  or  Wild  Cherry-tree.  The  wood  is  of  a  fine  and 
close  grain,  and  is  said  to  split  with  difficulty;  Ijut,  as. it  soon 
decays  when  exposed  to  the  air,  it  is  little  used.  It  has  been 
erroneously  asserted  that  sugar  is  made  from  the  sap  of  this 
species. 

More  than  fifty  years  since,  the  Box  Elder  was  introduced 


m    BOX   ELDER,  OR   ASII-LEAA^ED   MAPLE. 


Ill 


< 


ml 


into  France  by  Admiral  La  Gallissoniorc.  Subsequently  it  has 
spread  into  Germany  and  England,  Avliere  it  is  in  great  request 
for  adorning  pleasure-grounds,  on  account  of  tlie  rapidity  of  its 
growth  and  the  Ijeauty  of  its  foliage,  whose  bright  green  forms 
an  agreeable  contrast  with  the  surrounding  trees.  Its  young 
brandies,  of  a  lively  green,  contribute  to  the  favor  in  which  it 
is  held,  and  serve  to  distinguish  it  in  the  winter,  when  its  leaves 
are  fallen. 

The  utility  of  its  wood,  I  believe,  has  of  late  been  exagge- 
rated ;  both  Europe  and  America  possess  many  trees  superior  in 
strength  as  Avell  as  in  size.  It  appears  certain,  however,  that, 
growing  in  copses,  and  cut  every  three  or  four  years,  it  would 
afford  a  profitable  product  in  its  sprouts,  v,hicli  are  very  nume- 
rous, and  which,  during  the  first  years,  shoot  with  astonishing 
rapidity.  The  success  of  this  experiment  will  be  more  certain 
if  it  is  made  on  grounds  constantly  moist  and  cool :  though  the 
Box  Elder  may  seem,  for  a  few  years,  to  prosper  in  dry  and 
meagre  soils,  it  sooner  or  later  pines  and  perishes.  Of  this  I 
became  convinced  in  conversing  with  several  proprietors  in  the 
environs  of  Paris,  who,  after  some  recent  publications  on  this 
tree,  had  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  derive  profit  from 
their  poor  lands  by  planting  them  with  the  Box  Elder. 


i    il 


PLATE  XLYI. 

A  branch  loiih  leaves  and  seed  of  the  natural  size. 


E. 

J  it  has 
request 
y  of  its 
n  forms 
5  young 
vliich  it 
ts  leaves 

exagge- 
perior  in 
;qv,  that, 

it  would 
ry  nume- 
tonishing 
•e  certain 
lough  the 
V  dry  and 

Of  this  I 
ors  in  the 
IS  on  this 
»rofit  from 


/'/  +- 


/'/ 


(■'//v/./.'Wyi 


MOUNTAIN  MAPLE. 


Acer  montanum.  A.fulii.s  iri-subqaiiiquduljis,  aeiunlnKtis,  dcniaiis,  vtKjosis; 
raccnds  spicij'urmibus,  suicra-ds,  2uialiii  Uitcaribun. 

Tnis  species  is  more  iibuntlant  in  Canada,  Nova  Seotia,  and 
along  the  whole  range  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  than  in  any 
other  part  of  North  America.  It  is  called  Mountain  Maple  and 
Low  Maple.  Though  the  last  of  these  names  indicates  the 
stature  of  the  tree,  I  have  retained  the  first,  which  is  more  gene- 
rally in  use,  and  which  is  likewise  appropriate,  as  this  Maple 
grows  of  preference  on  the  declivities  of  mountains  ex[)osed  to 
the  north,  and  in  coyl,  moist,  and  shady  situations,  on  the  abrupt 
and  rocky  banks  of  torrents  and  rivers.  On  the  Mohawk,  for 
instance,  near  the  Little  Falls,  it  abounds  among  the  enormous 
rocks  which  lie  scattered  along  its  sides. 

The  Mountain  Maple  is  six  or  eight  R'et  in  height,  and  it 
blooms  even  at  a  smaller  elevation.  It  most  frecpiently  grows 
in  the  form  of  a  shrub,  with  a  single  and  straight  stock.  The 
leaves  are  large,  opposite,  and  divided  into  thi'ee  acute  and 
indented  lobes:  they  are  slightly  hairy  at  tlu-ir  unfolding,  and, 
when  fully  grown,  they  are  uneven  and  of  a  dark  green  upon 
the  upper  surface.  The  blossoms  are  small,  of  a  greenish  color, 
and  j)rodu('e(l  in  semi-erect  sj)ikes  from  two  to  four  inciies  in 
length.  The  seeds,  which  are  smaUer  than  those  of  any  other 
American  Maple,  are  fixed  u[ton  sh'iider.  ]»enduhius  footstalks: 
they  are  reddish  at  luatiM'ity,  and  each  of  them  is  suiiuounted 
by  a  membiauous  wing,  and  has  a  small  cavity  h[)on  one  side. 

The  Mountain  Maple  is  loo  snudl  to  ])e  jirolitably  cultivated 
for  its  wood;  and.  as  its  Ihnvers.  its  roots,  and  its  bark  are  desti- 
tute  of  any   very   sensible    odor,   it    promises    no   resources   to 

medicine.     It  is  foiind  in  the  gardens  of  the  curious,  rather  to 

17.". 


It 


176 


DOGWOOD. 


complete  the  series  of  species  than  for  any  remarkable  property 
of  its  foliage  or  of  its  flowers. 

This  species  is  commonly  grafted  upon  the  Sycamore,  and, 
like  the  Moose  Wood,  it  is  thus  augmented  to  twice  its  natural 
dimensions.  This  surprising  development  evinces  how  groat 
are  the  advantages  wliicli  may  be  derived  from  this  j^rocess  and 
from  continued  cultivation  in  improving  inferior  vegetables. 

PLATE  XLVII. 

A  branch  with  leaves  anil  Jiivrcrs  of  their  natural  size.     Fig.  1.  A  bunch  of 

seeds  of  the  natural  size, 

[The  Mountain  Maple  sometimes  attains  the  height  of  twenty- 
four  feet;  the  leaves  assume,  toward  autumn,  various  rich  shades 
of  red,  with  the  seeds  yellowish,  and  in  tlfis  state  it  has  con- 
siderable beauty.] 


DOGWOOD. 

CoRNi'S  FLORIDA.  C.  fiillis  ovalibus,  acuminatis  subtus  albican t ibis ;  fori- 
bus  sessiliter  capifalis;  inrolucro  waximo,  foliolis  apicc  deformi  quasi 
obcordatij ;  fructibus  oralis,  rubris. 

Tetrandriii  iiionofrynia.     LiN.\.     Caprif'olia.     Juss. 

Among  the  eight  species  of  Dogwood  which  have  been  ob- 
served in  North  America,  this  alone  is  entitled  by  its  size  to  be 
classed  with  the  forest-trees.  It  is  the  most  interesting,  too, 
for  the  value  of  its  wood,  the  ])r()perties  of  its  bark,  and  the 
beauty  of  its  tlowers.  Tn  the  United  Stales  at  large,  it  is  known 
by  the  nanu'  of  Dogwood,  and  in  Connectifut  it  is  also  called 
IJoxwood. 


blc  property 

amore,  and, 
!  its  natural 
I  how  frroat 
process  and 
^etables. 


1,  A  bunch  of 

lit  of  twenty- 
is  rich  shades 
e  it  has  con- 


bkavlibis;  fori- 
c  dcformi  quasi 


priloHii.     Jt'ss. 

lave  hecn  ob- 
y  its  size  to  be 
iterestinfi,  too, 
bark,  and  the 
ge,  it  is  known 
,  i8  also  called 


: 

M 

i 

'■    '    1 

: 

^    ! 

: 

'^i 

Ifi 


M:     -I 


I 


^11. 


I.  I 


Ill)  S2\\  iinii 

I'lirniis  j'l I"  uiii 


DOGWOOD. 


171 


The  Dogwood  is  first  seen  in  Massachusctt.s,  Ijetween  the  42(1 
and  43d  degrees  of  latitude;  and  in  proceeding  soutliward,  it  is 
met  with  uninterruptedly  throughout  the  Eastern  and  Western 
States,  and  the  two  Floridas,  to  the  Ijanks  of  the  Mississi[)pi. 
Over  this  vast  extent  of  country  it  is  one  of  the  most  common 
trees,  and  it  abounds  particui.irly  in  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 
Mai'vland,  and  Virginia,  wherever  the  soil  is  moist,  gravelly, 
and  somewhat  uneven;  farther  south,  in  the  Carolinas,  Georgia, 
and  the  Floridas,  it  is  found  only  on  the  borders  of  swamps, 
and  never  in  the  pine-barrens,  whei'e  the  soil  is  too  dry  and 
sandy  to  sustain  its  vegetation.  In  the  most  fertile  districts  of 
Kentucky  and  West  Tennessee,  it  does  not  appear  in  the  forests 
except  wdiere  the  soil  is  gravelly  and  of  a  middling  quality. 

The  Dogwood  sometimes  reaches  thirty  or  thirty-fivo  feet  in 
height  and  nine  or  ten  inches  in  diameter;  Init  it  does  not 
generally  exceed  the  height  of  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  and  the 
diameter  of  four  or  five  inches.  The  trunk  is  strong,  and  is 
covered  with  a  blackish  bark,  chapped  into  small  portions,  which 
are  often  in  the  shape  of  squares  more  or  less  exact.  The 
branches  are  proportionally  less  numerous  than  on  other  trees, 
and  are  r^^gularly  disposed  nearl}''  in  the  form  of  crosses.  The 
young  twigs  are  observed  to  incline  upward  in  a  semicircular 
direction. 

The  leaves  are  opposite,  about  three  inches  in  length,  oval,  of 
a  dark  green  above  and  whitish  beneath;  the  upper  surface  is 
very  distinctly  sulcated.  Toward  the  close  of  summer  they  are 
often  marked  with  black  spots,  and  at  the  approach  of  winter 
they  change  to  a  dull  red. 

In  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  the  flowers  are  fully  blown 
about  the  10th  or  15th  of  May,  while  the  leaves  hre  only  ijegin- 
ning  to  unfold  tiiemselves.  The  flowers  are  small,  yellowish, 
and  collected  in  bunches,  which  are  surrounded  with  a  very 
large  involucre  composed  of  four  white  floral  leaves,  sometimes 
inclining  to  violet.     This  fine  involucre  constitutes  all  the  beauty 

Vol..  I.— I'J 


f    t 


ID   :    !l        ,t 


U    'I 


' !!  ';i 


178 


D  0  Ct  W  O  0  D. 


of  the  llt)wov8,  wliicli  are  very  numorous.  and  Avliich  in  their 
season  robe  the  tree  in  white  like  a  fnll-l)lown  Apple-tree,  and 
render  it  one  of  the  fairest  ornaments  of  the  American  forests. 

The  seeds,  of  a  vivid  glossy  red  and  of  an  oval  shape,  are 
always  nnited.  They  remain  npon  the  trees  till  the  first  frosts, 
Avhen,  notwithstanding  their  bitterness,  they  are  devoured  by 
the  Robin,  Tardus  m'Kjratorlus,  which  about  this  period  ariives 
from  the  northern  regions. 

The  wood  is  haixl,  compact,  heavy,  and  fine-grained,  and  is 
susceptible  of  a  brilliant  polish.  The  sap  is  perfectly  white, 
and  the  heart  is  of  a  chocolate-color.  This  tree  is  not  large 
enough  for  works  which  require  pieces  of  consideral)le  volume : 
it  is  used  for  the  handles  of  light  tools,  such  as  mallets,  small 
vices,  etc.  In  the  country  some  farmers  select  it  for  harrow- 
teeth,  for  the  hames  of  horses'  collars,  and  also  for  lining  the 
runners  of  sledges ;  but,  to  whatever  purpose  it  is  applied,  being- 
liable  to  split,  it  should  never  be  v,rought  till  it  is  perfectly 
seasoned.  The  shoots,  when  three  or  four  years  old,  are  found 
proper  for  the  light  hoops  of  smrll,  portable  casks;  but  the  con- 
sumption in  this  way  is  inconsiJei'able.  In  the  Middle  States, 
the  cogs  of  mill-wheels  are  made  of  Dogwood,  and  its  divergent 
branches  are  taken  for  the  yokes  which  are  put  upon  the  necks 
of  swine  to  prevent  their  breaking  into  cultivated  enclosures. 
Such  are  the  profitable  uses  of  this  tree :  it  affords  also  excellent 
fuel,  but  it  is  too  small  to  be  brought  into  the  markets  of  the 
cities. 

The  liber  or  interior  bark  of  the  Dogwood  is  extremely  bitter, 
and  proves  an  excellent  remedy  in  intermittent  fevers.  It  has 
been  known  and  successfully  used  by  the  country-people,  as  a 
specific  in  these  maladies,  for  more  than  fifty  years.  Its 
medicinal  properties  were  made  the  subject  of  a  thesis  defended 
in  the  College  of  Physicians  at  Philadelphia,  in  180o,  in  which 
was  presented  ah  analysis  of  the  b:irk  of  the  Dogwood  and  of 
the  Blue-berried  Dogwood,  compared  with  the  Peruvian  bark. 


D  0  G  W  O  0  D. 


179 


,  their 
'G,  and 
forests, 
pe,  are 
frosts, 
re'l  by 
arrives 

,  and  is 
7  wliite, 
ot  large 
voUunc : 
ts,  small 
liarrow- 


nnu 


tl 


le 


ed,  being 
perfectly 
iire  found 
t  the  con- 
lie  States, 
divergent 
the  necks 
^closures. 
)  excellent 
,cets  of  the 

nely  lutter, 
vs.     It  has 
leople,  as  a 
years.      Its 
lis  defended 
)3,  in  which 
vood  and  of 
■uvian  liark. 


By  the  experiments  made  on  this  occasion,  the  Dogwood  bark 
was  shown  to  have  a  close  analogy  to  the  Peruvian  Ijark,  and  to 
be  capable,  in  many  cases,  of  supplying  its  place  witli  success. 
The  author  of  this  excellent  piece  cites  a  physician  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  during  twenty  years  had  constantly  employed  it, 
and  who  estimated  thirty-five  grains  of  it  to  be  equivalent  to 
thirty  grains  of  the  Peruvian  bark.  The  only  inconvenience 
accompanying  its  use  was  that,  if  taken  within  a  year  after 
being  stripped  from  the  tree,  it  sometimes  occasioned  acute  pains 
of  the  bowels;  but  this  evil  was  remedied  by  adding  to  it  five 
grains  of  Virginia  Snake-root,  {Aristolochla  serpentaria.) 

The  same  author  gives  a  receipt  for  innking  an  excellent  ink, 
in  which  this  bark  is  substituted  for  gall-nuts.  Put  half  an 
ounce  of  Dogwood  bark,  two  scruples  of  sulphate  of  iron,  and 
two  scruples  of  gum-arabic,  into  sixteen  ounces  of  rain-water: 
during  the  infusion  shake  it  repeatedly. 

The  Dogwood  merits  the  attention  of  Europeans  for  the  value 
of  its  wood,  and  especially  for  the  brilliancy  of  its  flowers,  by 
which  it  is  better  adapted  than  almost  any  other  North  Ameri- 
can tree  to  the  embellishment  of  forests,  parks,  and  extensive 
gardens. 


PLATE   XLVIII. 

A  branch  \oUh  leaves  and  floiccrs  of  the  natural  size. 
with  f nut  of  the  natural  size. 


Fig.  1.  A  branch 


[From  the  bark  of  the  smaller  roots  the  Indians  obtained  a 
good  scarlet  color.  The  smaller  branches,  stripped  of  their  bark 
and  used  as  a  brush,  are  said  to  render  the  teeth  extremely 
white.    Emerson.] 


GEORGIA   BARK. 

PiNCKNEYA  PUBENS.     P.  foliis  opposiiis,  ovallbus,  utriiKjue  aeulis;  sub' 

tomcntosls. 

Pentandiia  luonogjnia.  Linn,     llubiaceao.  JuRS. 

0ns.    Floribus  majusculis,  pallcntibus  et  purpureo-linoatis,  fasciculato-paniculatis. 
Capsulis  subrotundi.s,  iuodic6  coniprcssis:  scniinibus  uumero.sis  alatis. 

This  tree,  ?H11  more  interesting  by  the  properties  of  it.s  bark 
than  by  the  elegance  of  its  flowcr.s  and  of  its  foliage,  is  indige- 
nons  to  the  most  sonthern  parts  of  the  United  States :  probably 
it  grows  also  in  the  two  Floi'idas  and  in  Lower  Louisiana.  My 
father  found  it  for  the  first  time,  in  1791,  on  the  banks  of  the 
8t.  Mary.  He  carried  seeds  and  young  plants  to  Charleston, 
and  planted  them  in  a  garden  which  he  possessed  near  that  city. 
Though  intrusted  to  an  ungrateful  soil,  they  succeeded  so  well 
that  in  1807  I  found  several  of  them  twenty-five  feet  high  and 
seven  or  eight  inches  in  diameter;  which  proves  that  the  vege- 
tation of  this  ti'ee  does  not  require  a  very  warm  climate  nor  a 
very  substantial  soil. 

With  a  great  affinity  to  the  Cinchona,  which  yields  the  Peru- 
vian bark,  my  father  discerned  in  the  Georgia  Bark  sufficient 
difierences  to  distinguish  it  as  a  new  genus.  In  testimony  of 
his  gratitude  and  respect,  he  consecrated  it  to  Charles  Cotosworth 
Pinckney,  an  enlightened  patron  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  from 
whom  my  father  and  myself,  during  our  residence  in  South 
Carolina,  received  multiplied  proofs  of  benevolence  and  esteem. 

The  Georgia  Bark  is  a  low  tree,  dividing  itself  into  numerous 
branches,  and  rarely  exceeding  the  height  of  twenty-five  feet 
and  the  diameter  of  five  or  six  inches  at  the  base.  A  cool  and 
shady  exposure  appears  the  most  favorable  to  its  growth.  Its 
leaves  are  opposite,  four  or  five  inches  long,  of  a  light  green 


s; 


sub' 


JURS. 

nicuktis. 
lis. 

ts  bark 
I  indigo- 
)vobably 
la.     My 
:s  of  the 
arleston, 
[hat  city, 
i  so  well 
liigh  and 
the  vege- 
ate  nor  a 


the  Peru- 
sufficient 
timony  of 
jotesworth 
uces,  from 
in  South 
nd  esteem. 
)  numerous 
iy-five  feet 
A  cool  and 
rowth.     Its 
light  green 


Pt 


Oi 


tl 

n« 
it 
ffl 
S 
a: 
T 
tl 
m 
tl 

V 

V 

d 
1: 
1 

( 


7    .TT^mTT? 


('•I'oioia   l\,\rU 


It^t-n,'/  .f.H'/ 


i 

.,  ill 


„    SI 


fi  i 


!M 


l\. 


I 


GEORGIA    BARK. 


181 


color,  and  downy  underneath,  as  are  also  the  shoots  to  whicli 
they  are  attached.  The  flowers,  which  are  white,  with  longitu- 
dinal rose-colored  stripes,  arc  pretty  largo,  and  are  collected  in 
beautiful  panicles  at  the  extremity  of  the  branches.  Each 
flower  is  accompanied  by  a  lloral  leaf,  bordered  with  rose-cuhn" 
near  the  upper  edge.  The  capsules  are  round,  compressed  in 
the  middle,  and  stored  with  a  great  number  of  small,  winged 
seeds. 

The  wood  of  the  Geoi'gia  Bark  is  soft,  and  unfit  for  use  in  the 
arts;  l)ut  its  inner  bark  is  extremely  bitter,  and  appears  to  par- 
take of  the  febrifuge  virtues  of  the  Cimlunm,  for  the  inluibitants 
of  the  southern  parts  of  Georgia  employ  it  successfully  in  the 
intermittent  fevers  which,  during  the  latter  part  of  summer  and 
the  autumn,  prevail  in  the  Southern  States.  A  handful  of  the 
bark  is  boiled  in  a  (piart  of  water  till  the  liipiid  is  reduced  one- 
half,  and  the  infusion  is  aihuiuistered  to  the  'ick.  From  the 
])roperties  of  its  l)ark,  the  Plii(f,ii'i/a  has  taken  the  name  of 
Gcfu'i/id  B(ir1,\  It  is  to  be  wished  that  some  intelligent  ])hysi('ian 
would  examine  these  ])roperties  with  car<>,  and  indicate  with 
accuracy  tlie  manner  of  emj)loying  this  indigenous  remedy,  and 
the  effects  to  be  e\|)ecled  from  it.  The  tree  which  ])rodu('es  it 
HO  nearly  resembles  the  Peruvian  vi'getable,  that  some  botanists 
have  included  them  in  the  same  genus. 


PLATE  XLIX. 

A  branch  with  Irnrcs  and  fowcrs  of  iltc  natural  size.     Fir/,  1.  A  seed- vessel. 

Fi<J.  2.  A  seed. 


COFFEE   TREE. 


Mi  :  I 


11'?, 


Gymnocladus  Canadensis.     G.  /olds  hipinnatis,  atnpUssimis,  dccklms; 

folioUs    ovalibus,    aciiminatis;   fiorihus    racemosis;    leguminosis   poly- 

spermis. 

Bioccia  decandria.  Linn.     Lpguminoscc.  Juss. 

Upper  Canada  boyond  Montreal,  and  that  part  of  Genesee 
which  borders  on  Lake  Ontario  and  Lake  Erie,  are  the  jnost 
northern  countries  which  produce  the  Coflfee-tree:  but  it  is 
much  less  abuiuhint  in  these  climates  than  in  the  States  of 
Kentucky  nr.d  Tennessee,  and  in  the  tract  which  is  bounded  by 
the  rivers  Ohio  and  Illinois,  between  the  35th  and  40th  degreets 
of  latitude.  The  large  dimensions  which  it  exhibits  in  these 
regions  is  attributable  to  the  milder  temperature  of  the  sea^^ons 
and  to  the  extreme  fertility  of  the  soil. 

The  French  of  Canada  call  this  tree  Chicof ;  those  of  Illinois, 
Grofi Ftvler ;  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  Western  States,  Coft'ee- 
tree. 

The  presence  of  the  Coflee-ti'ee  is  an  index  t)f  the  richest 
lands;  on  which  it  habitually  grows  in  company  with  the  Black 
Walnut,  the  Eed  Elm,  the  Poplar,  the  Blue  Ash,  the  Honey 
Locust,  and  the  Ilackberry.  Thes.-  trees  it  apials  in  lieight, 
but  not  in  bulk;  for  a  Cofi'ee-tree  fifty  (»r  sixty  feet  high  does 
not  generally  exceed  twehe  or  fifteen  inches  in  diameter. 

In  summer,  this  tree,  when  fully  grown,  has  a  fine  appciv- 

nnce:  its  straight  trunk  is  often  destitute  of  branches  for  I'lrty 

fei't,  and  supports  a  summit  not  very  widely  spread,  Ixit  of  a 

regular  sluipe  and  of  tui'ted  foliage:  such  at  least  is  its  f(,riu  in 

primitive  forests,  where  it  is  confnied  by  the  trees  which  ^'row 

nromid  it.     In  thi  winter,  when  its  leaves  are  fallen,  the  paucity 

of  its  branches  and  the  size  of  the  terminal  ones,  which  are  very 
182 


imis,  dcciduis; 
iminosis  poly- 

linosEC.  Juss. 

of  Genesee 
re  the  most 
:> :  but  it  is 
lie  States  of 
1  bounded  by 
40 til  degrees 
bits  in  these 
'  the  seai'ons 

se  of  Illinois, 
Itates,  Coftee- 


tlie  richest 
th  the  IJliick 
,  the  Honey 
Is  in  height, 
ct  high  does 
meter. 

fine  a))[K  :iv- 
les  for  t^'irty 
'ad,  but  of  u 
is  its  f(,rni  in 

which  ,>row 
\,  the  paucity 
lich  are  very 


ii 


/'/,,■.,.. 


I'.'  a.w.„M 


/t,-/htr,/  .■,  ifty 


!   '  2!  T 


COFFEE     T  R  E  E. 


183 


large  in  comparison  witli  those  of  other  trees,  give  it  a  peculiar 
appearance,  somewhat  resembling  a  dead  tree.  This  is  probably 
the  reason  of  its  being  called  Chicot — Stump-tree — by  the  French 
Canadians.  To  this  peculiar  character  is  added  another  of  the 
epiderml, ,  which  is  extremely  rough,  and  which  detaches  itself 
in  small,  hard,  transverse  strips,  rolled  backward  at  the  ends, 
and  projecting  sufficiently  to  render  the  tree  distinguishable  at 
first  sight.  I  have  also  remarked  that  the  live  bark  is  very 
bitter,  so  that  a  morsel  no  bigger  than  a  grain  of  ni'^.ize,  chewed 
for  some  time,  produces  a  violent  irritation  of  the  throat. 

The  leaves  are  three  feet  long  and  twenty  inches  wide  on 
young  and  thriving  trees :  on  old  ones  they  are  not  more  than 
half  as  large.  These  leaves  are  doubly  compound,  with  oval- 
acuminate  leaflets  from  one  to  two  inches  long.  The  leaflets 
are  of  a  dull  green,  and  in  the  fall  the  petiole  is  of  a  violet 
color. 

The  Coflee-tree  belongs  to  the  class  DUrcia  of  Linnaeus,  which 
includes  all  vegetables  whose  male  and  female  flowers  are  borne 
by  difl'crent  plants ;  in  which  case  those  only  that  bear  the 
female  flowers  produce  fruit :  to  effect  the  fecundation,  it  is 
necessary  that  there  should  be  male  plants  growing  near  them. 
The  flowers  and  the  fruit  are  large,  bowed  pods,  of  a  reddisii- 
brown  color,  and  of  a  pulpy  consistency  within.  They  contain 
several  large,  gray  seeds,  which  are  extremely  hard.  The 
French  of  Upper  Tiouisiana  call  them  Gounjanes. 

The  mime  of  Coflee-tree  was  given  to  this  vegetable  by  the 
early  emigrants  to  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  who  hoped  to  find 
in  its  seeds  a  substitute  for  coflee;  but  the  smaller  number  of 
persons  who  made  the  experiment  abandoned  it  as  soon  as  it 
becat  10  easy  to  obtain  from  the  seaports  the  coffee  of  the  West 
Tndief.  ' 

The  wood  of  the  Coflee-tree  is  very  comi)act  and  of  a  rosy 
hue.  The  fineness  and  closeness  of  its  grain  fit  it  for  cabinet- 
making,  and  its  strength  renders  it  proper  for  building.     Like 


1S4 


COFFEE    TREE. 


the  Locust,  it  has  the  vahiable  property  of  rapidly  converting 
its  sap  into  perfect  wood,  so  that  a  trunk  six  in(!hes  in  diameter 
has  only  six  lines  oi  sap,  and  may  be  employed  almost  entire. 
These  qualities  recommend  it  for  propagation  in  the  forests  of 
the  north  and  of  the  centre  of  Europe. 

The  Coffee-tree  was  sent  to  France  more  than  fifty  years  since. 
It  thrives  in  the  environs  of  Paris,  where  there  are  trees  that 
exceed  forty  feet  in  height;  but  it  docs  not  yield  fruit,  and  is 
multiplied  only  by  shoots  obtained  by  digging  trenches  round 
the  old  trees.  The  divided  roots  produce  shoots  three  or  four 
feet  long  the  first  year.  The  young  trees  are  sought,  on  account 
of  their  beautiful  foliage,  for  the  embellishment  of  parks  and 
picturesque  gardens, 

PLATE  L. 


mi 


A  branch  with  fioiocrs  of  the  natural  size.     Fig.  1.  A  pod  of  the  natural 
size.     Fifj.  2.  A  seed  of  the  natural  size. 


[The  Coffee-tree  thrives  as  far  north  as  Massachusetts.  It 
requires  a  rich,  deep,  free  soil,  and,  when  isolated,  spreads  over 
a  large  space,  and  is  extremely  beautiful.  It  is  readily  propa- 
irated  from  the  seeds.] 


END   OP   VOL.  I. 


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